Teen Titans: New In Town
by The Snazzy Tomato Llama
Summary: The Titans are away; so operation Underground Alliance has settled in. Only problem is, will S.T.R.I.K.E win and will the heroes all get captured and die? OCs no longer needed! And rated T for some bad language
1. Applicants

Teen Titans: New In Town

Summary: The Teen Titans have gone away to Tokyo, leaving the city a massive target for villains. The only real team; Team Squadron is still around but they need help from other heroes. The bad guys keep coming until one legendary villain appears and causes them all trouble.

Well, I really appreciate the people I've asked to submit their characters! Thanks!

This is just so I can be fair and not use my entire bunch of OCs... I'd be here forever.

Sorry if this seems a lot, but I would really appreciate it. :)

Villains or Heroes.

Name:

Hero Name:

Status (hero/villain):

Age:

Powers:

Weaknesses:

History (Not completely needed):

Crush:

Appearance:

Personality:

Normal Outfit:

Uniform:

Thanks again, and I don't mind if you skip out one or add another.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One: Party On

Boom Baby, or Veronica Switz at the current moment, was sipping a can of Diet Coke. The music pounded around her and people were swinging to the beat. She tapped her gloved fingers on the counter, just in team to the beat. Blinding lights took over every corner. Only the dumbest people would look directly at them.

"Hey, pretty lady," some guy slurred. Veronica turned her head to see a lean, pale man. He had rough, wild hair that covered half his face. He wore a leather jacket, dark jeans and black shoes. He smelled strongly of a spicy cologne and of alcohol.

"Can I help?" she asked, slightly insulted. Drunk guys always came up to her when she wore the black, cocktail dress. She wore black high-heels and fishnet stockings. Her raspberry-red hair rested just above her waist and her golden eyes glowered at him.

"Would y-you mind if I-I bought you a dri-ink?" he sat down next to her on the red barstool. Annoyed, Veronica waved her silver can.

"I have a drink, thanks though," she replied curtly.

"Oh c'mon," he smiled seductively. She waved him away. Embarrassed and shameful, he slid off the stool and stomped away.

Veronica smiled, proudly, 'Rejected,' she thought. Normally she would join in and flirt but tonight, she wasn't in the mood.

Her phone starting ringing, but because of the pounding music, she almost never noticed it. When it started vibrating, she took it out of her bag and pressed it on her ear, "Hello?" she called into it.

"Hey BB," someone said cheerily.

"Claire, h-how?" Veronica shook her head confused.

"Speaker-phone," Claire laughed.

"Is Alex there?" she asked.

"Sure," the dog barked. Veronica rolled her eyes; there was no way Claire could dial a number by herself. She was intelligent, for a dog, but still...

"Can you put her on?" Veronica asked gently, not to hurt her friend's feelings.

"Sure, she wanted to talk to you anyway." The red-haired girl listened intently as she heard the dog bark some commands.

"Hey V," Alex greeted.

"Hi Alex," Veronica replied. She glanced at the music system and realised she needed to step out for a moment. "What's up?"

"I heard the Titans were out of town," Alex said, without further question. Veronica reached the exit and stood by the door.

"Really?" A couple of teenagers were throwing up near at the gutters. Another group were laughing and drinking, while leaning on the wall. Veronica grimaced; wrong place, wrong time.

"Yeah, so I reckon keeping the bad guys off the streets is going to get harder while they're gone." Veronica could hear the suggestion echoing in the girl's voice.

"And?" Veronica said a bit too sharply.

"I was hoping we could join up again," Alex seemed to have a different motive than that, but Veronica left it.

"I told you-"

"That it's your mega vacation, I know, V, but hear me out," Alex cut her off, "Remember when we worked alongside each other?"

"That was only for a couple of weeks," Veronica pointed out.

"Yeah, but it was fun, remember when we got entirely muddy?"

"And Claire had a stomach-ache, I remember," she nodded.

"Then, what's stopping us being a team again?"

"It's complicated," she sighed, "I just don't think it's right for me to be a hero."

"Oh c'mon," Alex wailed, "You were awesome!"

"You changed my outfit," Veronica snapped.

"Oh, you had to bring that up," Alex grumbled. "But you were still pretty cool, mind you, you would have looked cooler if you used your special snake kung fu... Or whatever it was."

"I couldn't do martial arts in a skirt," Veronica retorted, "And it's She Quan."

"Yeah, yeah," the girl replied impatiently, "but seriously, think about it."

"I will think about it then," she sighed again.

"No, no, no, no, no, you will do it!"

"I will think about it," she repeated.

"But that always means no!"

"No, it means that I will think about it."

The girl grumbled, irritated, "Fine, but why won't you do it?"

"I told you..." the golden-eyed girl sighed and shook her head, "Never mind. I'm just going to go, I need another drink."

"Oh my god!" Alex exclaimed, "You're drinking alcohol!"

"Of course," Veronica rolled her eyes, "I am secretly an alcoholic." Alex remained silent for a moment. "I'm joking."

"Oh... Well, I guess I'll phone you later, but think about it. Let's try it for a couple of days and if you don't want to do it any longer, I'll only use you as a substitute if Claire has too much cake-" Veronica made a 'AHEM' sound, "-Or completely accept the fact that you don't want to do it and never bother you with it any more."

"Good, and if you do bother me again I will set Claire on you."

"Oh yeah, like Claire would go against me..." Veronica could hear the dog snigger and bark rather proudly. "Well... Okay... Fine."

"Talk to ya later," Veronica said her goodbyes and switched her phone off. Sighing, she walked back in and sat down on her favourite barstool. She raised her hand to the bartender, and he handed her another can of Diet Coke. "Thanks," she smiled.

She stood up, grasping her drink and her bag. She handed the bartender a dollar and tipped him ten. She was about to leave when she banged into a blonde girl. She accidentally dropped her bag. She reached towards it while balancing her can in her other hand. She stood up and was about to snap at the girl when something about her caught her by surprise.

She was tall, about five foot six or seven and a bit too curvy. She had long legs, with long arms and was rather slim. Her honey-blonde hair was long and pulled back with a turquoise hair band. Her skin was quite tanned, and Veronica could see little freckles spreading across her nose. Her eyes were green and warm. She seemed familiar. She wore an a teal-coloured dress, that stopped just before her knees. They were sleeveless as she wore a fashionable shawl, that covered her neck and part of her arms and chest. She wore turquoise high-heels and her legs gleamed in the light.

"I'm sorry," the girl laughed nervously but cheerfully. "I didn't meant to bang into you like that."

"That's alright, I should have looked where I was going," Veronica smiled.

"Hey, do I know you from somewhere?" the girl cocked her head.

"Not that I'm aware of," Veronica shook her head.

"Is your name Victoria Swizzle?" the girl asked uncertain.

"Veronica Switz," she corrected bluntly.

"Oh, my mistake, I'm-"

"Hey Jen! Get your butt over here!" someone yelled.

"-Jennifer O'Brien, but I'm guessing you got that."

"Yeah..."

"Just a sec, Lee!" Jennifer yelled back. Veronica looked nervously at the girl, not sure to leave or not. "You come here often?" the blonde asked.

"Not really, I prefer The Sewer."

"Oh yeah," the girl looked at her suspicious, completely aware that The Sewer was a nightclub for kids with superpowers.

"What about you?" Veronica flicked her hair back.

Jennifer shrugged, "It depends on my mood, you know."

"I see..." The girl seemed to get more familiar with Veronica, but she didn't know why. Was she a superhero?

The girl took a deep breath as she seemed to realise who Veronica really was, "You don't do some secret business with Silver Wolf and Luna?"

"Are you in a secret group?" Veronica replied.

"You know who I am?" they asked in unison.

"Boom Baby?" Jennifer pointed.

"Gymnasti-Girl?" Veronica pointed.

"Oh my god!" Jennifer squealed, "I always wanted to meet you!"

"Uh... Yeah... Ditto."

"Are you still with Silver Wolf?" Jennifer asked intrigued.

"No, I quit two weeks ago," Veronica blinked.

"You're kidding me!" she exclaimed.

"No..."

"Not fair!" she sighed.

"What?"

"Well, see..." the girl looked around anxiously. She beckoned over three people. "Hey guys, this is Veronica Switz, a.k.a Boom Baby."

"Hey," the brunette smiled. Veronica looked at her closely. She looked the average height, quite slim but slightly muscular. Her skin was rather tanned and dimples appeared on her chin and cheeks. Her hair was wavy and a dark brown colour. Her eyes were sweet and warm; a nice brown colour. "I'm Leela Garcia, Avatar." Veronica managed to catch a small accent in her voice. She wore long jeans, and red converse. She wore a black t-shirt with a picture of a yellow, smiley face. She didn't seem to have been bothered by her looks or perhaps she didn't realise she was coming.

"My name's Gina Demetrius, or Delphi," came another female voice. This time, the girl had strange white hair, with two black bangs. She was very beautiful, Veronica admitted, but in an obnoxious, obvious way. Her skin was pale, and you could tell she was surprisingly thin. Maybe she has an eating disorder, Veronica thought. Her eyes were almond shaped and a piercing blue colour. Her eyes were outlined with eyeliner and she looked slightly gothic with big, black biker boots, a black fake-leather jacket, dark skinny jeans and a grey t-shirt. A necklace hung around her neck and her stare made Veronica a little uncomfortable.

Veronica looked at the last one. It was a guy this time. He wore a big, grey hoodie which covered most of his face. He wore dark jeans, and grey converse. It was hard to see what he looked like, but he seemed to be quite strong. He had this icy-cold energy around him, making him seem distant to strangers. "And that's David Parker," Jennifer answered for him. "But ignore him."

"Yeah, nice to meet ya all," Veronica's accent dulled as she shook hands with Leela.

"Hey, cute accent," Leela replied. "Where'd you get it from?"

"I grew up in Oklahoma," Veronica shrugged, trying not to reveal too much.

"Seems like a cool place," Jennifer grinned.

"Yeah," Veronica suddenly felt awkward, she didn't have any idea what to say.

"So, apparently Silver Wolf and Boom Baby aren't a team anymore," Jennifer said in despair.

"Really?" Leela asked, interested.

"Yeah, I quit all this hero stuff two weeks ago," Veronica snapped.

The enchanting girl called Gina sighed, "Which is pretty much awkward for us."

"What do you mean?" the golden eyes blinked.

"The crime rate has gone beyond normal, and even we can't completely sort it out," she said sadly. "We've had help from other heroes outside the Titans but there are only a limited amount of heroes available."

"So you need my help?" Veronica got straight to the point.

"Well, we know you're a good fighter," Leela cut in, "And it does seem a lot to ask since you quit two weeks ago, but please consider it."

"I've already been bothered by Al-Silver Wolf about this," Veronica shook her head, ignoring the fact she almost gave away her friend's identity. She turned to leave.

"But," Jennifer's eyes began to sparkle as she smiled mischievously, "One of the villains was a head scientist that experimented on you." Veronica closed her palms, angered. She turned her head, an evil glare obvious. Even David seemed to cower.

"Professor Chang?" Veronica asked bluntly. Jennifer grinned while nodding. Veronica turned her attention to them again as she became face to face with the team, "Continue."


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: The Red Panda, The Silver Wolf and The Talking Dog

Alex Brink, normally known as Silver Wolf, watched her furry friend, Claire, or Luna, pace across the room. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was tied in a ponytail and her blue eyes were set on the light-brown canine. Claire was worried about something, but even Alex couldn't seem to figure it out.

"What's wrong?" Alex finally gave in.

The dog stopped, sat down facing Alex and bowed her head sadly, "There's no cake."

"Oh," Alex rolled her eyes, "There's some sponge cake in the lower cupboard."

"I ate that this morning!" Claire wailed.

"But, I gave you three pancakes," Alex blinked.

"The pancakes were my breakfast, the cake was my brunch and now I want my lunch. Give me my lunch!" she was really close to throwing a tantrum.

"Look," Alex sighed, "I need to go to the supermarket, then I'll drop by the café to pick up a cake or something for you."

"Awesome, can I come?" A sudden change of emotion appeared in Claire; her tail wagging happily.

"Fine, but you can't come into the supermarket... Or café."

"I know, know," Claire stood back up again. "So are we going, are we going, are we going?"

"Yes, we're going!" Alex snapped. Claire cowered, surprised at the sudden temper, "I'm sorry, that's two cakes I owe you now," she smiled at her dog. Claire grinned... Well, if a dog could grin. She followed Alex out the door and they went to the city together.

Amber Torrie Lee, normally Amberlee watched intently as people passed her in the streets. She couldn't decide what to do. She should be glad; she had no parents to tell her what to do and she had plenty of money. Instead, she missed her mother and the money kept wasting away. She sipped at her can of soda before throwing it in the trash. Sighing, she decided she need to do some shopping then maybe hit a café.

As soon as she arrived at the store she found herself looking at a window. Her natural red hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Her juicy red eyes gleamed. She wore a casual grey t-shirt, and pale blue jeans that were frayed at the bottom. She wore grey flats and silver bangles on her thin wrist. She was very skinny, but she hated to admit it. Her skin was rather pale, but not too pale. She was beautiful, everyone knew it except her. She was actually more of a supermodel beautiful, rather than drop-dead gorgeous. She hid her tainted eyes with normal, expensive-looking glasses, and she wore no make-up except peachy lipstick. She had doodles all over her hands and she reminded herself to wash them off...Sooner or later.

She ignored her appearance and grabbed a basket. She noticed a light brown dog with several dark brown markings. She had a blue collar around her neck and she was getting tied to a pole.

"Right, Claire, you stay here and by a good girl," Amberlee heard the blonde owner say. The woman walked into the shop and Amberlee looked down at the dog. The dog, Claire, stretched and lazed around in the shade. Amberlee couldn't help but smile; she loved animals, she thought they were adorable.

She walked quickly to the door and looked softly at the cheery-looking dog. She fumbled in her pocket for a treat or something and found a slice of cake. Since when did she eat cake? She took it out and unwrapped it. Slowly, she stepped towards the dog, offering the cake.

"Oh, hey BB," the dog grinned and wagged her tail. Amberlee almost fell over.

"Huh? What? Talking dog?" she stammered.

"You're not BB, are you?" Claire realised, her little eyes widening.

"No," Amberlee shook her head.

"But...but Veronica always gives me cake!" Claire wailed silently, "If anyone else does, it just confuses me."

"Let me get this straight," Amberlee managed to stand up again, "You're talking. You're not a shapeshifter, are you?"

"A shapeshifter?" Claire repeated, cocking her head.

"Yeah, a human who can change their form," the red-head explained.

"Yeah, I know that, I mean, are you a shapeshifter?"

Amberlee quickly glanced right and left to see if they were alone. Satisfied, she looked back at the dog, her red eyes slightly changing shape. She made an L shape with one hand, then a reversed L with the other and joined them together, making a triangle. Suddenly, a red ball spun around in her triangle then grew larger and entwined around her body.

Claire blinked, suddenly seeing the strange girl shrinking. Soon fur appeared on the girl, and a tail and ears popped out. Claire could sense a new cheery, happy atmosphere around the girl.

Once the girl stopped shape shifting, Claire could see a red panda in sight. "**OH MY GOD!**"

"I know, right?" the red panda bobbed excitedly.

"**A TALKING ANIMAL!**" Claire exasperated.

Amberlee blinked, "Says the talking dog."

"Huh? What are you talking about, red fox thing?"

Amberlee glowered at the dog, "I'm a red panda," she stuck out her tongue.

"_Tomato, tomata_," Claire stared.

Suddenly Alex appeared from the store, with a bag of groceries, "Right Claire, come on," she stopped abruptly when she noticed the red animal. "Umm... A fox?" A big question mark should have appeared above her head.

"I'm a red panda," Amberlee glared.

"Oh my god, Claire," she stared at them both, "There's a talking fox right there next to you..."

"I'm a red panda," Amberlee repeated.

"Oh, so talking foxes are like parrots," Alex said.

Amberlee banged her furry head on the post, "I am a red panda, moron."

"...Did she just insult me?" Alex blinked at Claire. Claire tilted her head in a do-you-have-to-ask-that kinda way.

"Okay, well seeing how I can't be annoyed even further," Amberlee turned back to them and suddenly changed back to the girl.

"A girl has eaten a talking fox," Alex's eyes were as wide as dining plates.

"Huh?" Claire looked at her friend confused.

"What are you talking about?" the annoyed red-head exclaimed.

"You're human?" Alex had a very confused look on her face and any second now she would faint...

"Yes, I'm a shapeshifter," Amberlee explained quickly.

"Oh, well that makes sense, c'mon Claire," she walked away.

Amberlee arched an eyebrow as she stared at the blonde. Claire grimaced and followed. The red-head shook her head and walked in, prepared to collect some groceries.

Meanwhile in a local café, a teenage girl was sitting sipping at some kind of tea. Her hair was a white-blonde colour with bangs and could easily be mistaken for its length. It wasn't too long or too short, kinda in-between, kinda semi-long. Her green eyes were closed as she took in the earthly scent from the tea. It was a rather peaceful day, and for once she was glad it was.

She opened her eyes again to notice three people, two girls and a boy. Two of them were arguing, the boy who had jet black hair and a small icy atmosphere around him and the girl whose eyes were hazel with a sharp edge as she muttered annoyed threats at him. The other girl who had medium-length red hair and was quite short, sighed at them and found a table for them all to sit at.

"I'm sorry Annalee," the guy pleaded, "I didn't mean to freeze you like that."

"I was right in front of you, how could you not know I was there?" the other girl, called Annalee, demanded.

"Can you guys please just shut it," the annoyed red-head's eye twitched.

"Jesse started it," Annalee faced her.

Jesse frowned, "I said I was sorry. What more do you want?"

The curious girl with the vicious green eyes laughed softly as she took another sip, _Seems like that Jesse guy has got himself in trouble_, she thought to herself.

When Jesse and Annalee began bickering again, the irritated girl began to bang her head on the table. She only stopped when a nervous-looking waitress came up to her.

"Would you like to order?" she asked.

"Three sodas," she nodded, "And do you sell poison, by any chance?"

"No," the waitress arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, I'll just stick to the sodas, thanks." The waitress walked off and the young girl stared at her two friends arguing. Suddenly, an anger erupted from her and thunder could be heard outside. That's when the two arguers stopped and turned to her.

"Are you okay, Lane?" Jesse asked.

"I'm fine," Lane massaged her temples, the storm finally settling.

"Woah," the girl with the tea stammered. Just then a familiar face entered the café. "Leela!" she exclaimed.

Leela Garcia, the friendly brunette smiled at her friend and sat down across from her, "Hey Grace."

Grace smiled softly, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"You're telling me," Leela laughed.

"So what can I help you with?" Grace asked, tilting her head ever so slightly.

"Not the response I thought you'd have," Leela laughed again.

"Ahh relax, it's a peaceful day, for once I'm totally at ease," Grace replied, her eyes closing.

"Well, I'd hate to ruin your little peace time," Leela began, an uncertainty straining her voice, "However, I honestly didn't come here to chat with you."

"You didn't?" Grace asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you'd be here," Leela replied truthfully.

"Uh huh," Grace said, uncertain what to say,

"However, the fact is... The Titans are out of town, it's an opportunity of a lifetime!"

"Leela," Grace sighed.

"Look, I know what you're going to say...Probably...But think about it."

"What makes you think this is a good idea?" Grace asked.

"It just is," before she could continue a red-head with strange golden eyes entered the café. "Hey, Veronica, get over here!"

"Coming," the raspberry-red-haired replied walking over to them.

"Veronica, is it?" Grace asked.

"Yup," V nodded, "What's up?"

"This is Grace," Leela said randomly, directing to the white-blonde-haired girl.

"Nice to meet y'all," V grinned. They shook hands and Grace became a little curious as to why the stranger wore gloves on a hot summer day.

"Likewise," Grace nodded, a little suspicious as well as cautious.

"Well, Veronica is only here to..." Leela broke off, confusion clouding her pretty little face, "Actually," she turned to the red-head, "Why are you here?"

"I told you, superhero business," V replied, her smile disappearing and a grimace replacing it.

"You're a superhero?" Grace blinked, slightly bemused. Veronica grunted, confusing Grace. _Was that a yes or a no? _She thought.

"Veronica's currently hung up her cape," Leela explained.

"Ah never wore a cape to begin with," Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Mhmm," Leela tapped her fingers on the table, slightly irritated.

"Anyway, Ah have to make a call," the Oklahoma accent getting stronger as the girl's voice became serious.

"You're going to talk to Silver Wolf and Luna?" Leela asked her, her head tilted slightly in wonder.

"Yeah," was all the amber-golden-eyed girl said as she left the table and stepped outside.

"What was that all about?" Grace finally asked after a moment of silence.

"She was Boom Baby," Leela folded her arms.

"_Was_?" Grace repeated.

"Well, we're trying to get her to be a hero again, she had quite a reputation, even if she wasn't a Titan," Leela replied, looking at the table.

"And what about this Silver Wolf and Luna?"

"She worked with them, for a couple of weeks or so," the elemental girl sighed. "And we confronted her, blah blah blah."

"So, you're trying to get heroes to join you with this crime rate thing?"

"Exactly, it's not as successful as we would have liked it," a sadness appeared on Leela's face as well as doubt and worry. "Press is constantly working himself crazy Jen's getting depressed and Gina is mostly silent."

"I see," Grace drawled.

"So you understand how important this is?" Leela asked.

"Not really, but I'll take your word for it," Grace sipped her tea.

"It's just a really troubling time, ya know, we can't seem to work it all out," Leela shook her head.

"Fine," was all Grace said.

Leela's face lit up, "Really?"

"Yes, but only when everything is back to normal. I still haven't completely decided if I want to remain a hero, I wonder why."

"I won't rush you," Leela shook her head. "Just have a think 'bout it and come back Monday," she grinned at the lame joke, "But do help us out. It would mean a lot."

"I guess I have no choice," Grace sighed, rolling her eyes in a sarcastic manner.

"Nope, not at all," Leela laughed.

"So, do you guys understand about this Titan thing?" Lane asked, sipping some of her favourite sofa. Her eyes lingered on her friends a moment, waiting for their response.

"Yes?" Annalee said in a questioning way.

"So, more bad guys are gonna be in the city," Jesse shrugged, understanding where his red-head friend was talking about.

"And it means, heroes are going to be busy," Lane finished. "So we're going to be busy," the whole conversation was whispered as it was an active café.

"There should be more heroes around," Annalee grimaced.

"There could be," Jesse shrugged again. "Jump City is quite big, and then there's Steel City."

"My point exactly," Lane replied. Jesse and Annalee gave her funny looks. "What?"

"The fact is, there's going to be more than one villain on the loose," Annalee said through the silence, "And maybe, just maybe, we might not be enough to take them down." Lane pouted and glanced out the window.

"Annalee," Jesse sighed. "Never tell Lane that we're useless."

"I never said that," the brunette blinked.

"You were directing towards it," Lane sulked.

"No," Annalee sighed in exasperation, "What I said, what that there are going to be a lot of villains out there and if we're fighting one, who's to say that three other villains aren't going to pop up and steal everything?"

"She has a very solid point," Jesse put his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

Lane stayed in her sulking position but her eyes slid over to see her friends, "Okay," she turned to face them fully. "I know what you're saying, it's just a lot to take in."

"I know," the others nodded.

"But even though there might be a possibility that these villains are too much, can't we just try?"

"Yeah," Annalee grinned.

"Sure, why not?" Jesse shrugged.

"Yes," Veronica said into the cherry red phone that she was holding. "The Rainbow Ranch is right next to this café," she said in an irritated voice.

"Rainbow Ranch?" she heard laughter in the background.

"The café's called The Swan, you can't miss it."

"Fine," Alex spoke, "I'll meet you there."

V hung up the phone and sighed, massaging her temples. This was going to be a rather long day. A rather long day indeed.

* * *

Really not my best work, but I got sick of looking at it. ^^;

I only own Amberlee and Boom Baby, the rest of the OC's belong to their own owners, you know who you are.

I'm trying to bring in characters but not all at once.

I'm sorry this sucks, heh. ^^;


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: The Beginning Of The Temporary Hero Era

Veronica drank the strawberry smoothie nervously, keeping an eye on the blonde girl. The blonde kept one eye on the lingering wolf-dog outside.

"So, you asked to see me?" she finally spoke. Veronica sighed deeply and lifted her lips from the straw.

"Yeah," she nodded slowly.

"What about?" she looked at her friend, hopeful. Veronica couldn't help but feel bad.

"Remember...Last night?"

"I vaguely recall the night before," Alex said slowly, an eyebrow raising.

"Good, so Ah don't have to hit y'all with a baseball bat," Veronica rolled her amber-golden eyes; trying to add some humour into the tense moment.

Alex's eyebrow didn't fall at the failed attempt of humour in this obviously tense moment. "Hm?"

"Never mind," Veronica sighed. "See, Ah bumped into the Squadron."

"The who?" Alex blinked.

"Team Squadron? Girl, y'all really need to do some research," Veronica shook her head, exasperated.

"I'm sorry," Alex sweat-dropped, "I'm just not that informative."

"You're a hero, maybe y'all should be," Veronica replied with a straight line for lips.

"Whatever, what about them?" Alex rolled her eyes.

"Well, we were discussing...Um, hero business," Veronica laughed nervously.

Alex blinked, not certain what this was all about, "You mean-"

"Ah am still not going to be a hero," Veronica cut her off with a frown. "But they know the location of the villain Ah want to rid off the most."

"Oh no," Alex shook her head, "Not revenge, listen, I told you how much I am not helping you with any form of revenge."

"Professor Chang," Veronica replied simply, setting her elbows on the table and her knuckles under her chin.

Alex's eyes widened, "W-What did you say?"

"Professor Chang," Veronica repeated. "Revenge on him."

"H-How can you be certain that the Team Squaddie, whatever, know where to find him?" Alex asked, uncertainty swimming in her eyes.

"Ah trust them," the red-head shrugged, "Like Ah trust you."

"Oh, please don't bring the whole friendship thing into your revenge ideas," Alex whined, narrowing her eyes sadly.

Veronica sighed, "Ah just thought you'd help meh out an' all," Veronica glanced sideways.

"V, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just I know that this isn't going to benefit anyone," Alex pouted.

"Y'all are worse than the dog," Veronica grumbled, "She doesn't whine as much as you do."

Alex raised an eyebrow, slightly disappointed in her friend.

"Fine, Ah know why you won't, Ah'm sorry," Veronica stood up. She burst out the door, leaving Alex speechless.

Sighing, Alex put a palm to her forehead helplessly, "Why can't I do anything right anymore!" she demanded.

A man with shoulder-length pitch black hair, and sharp blue eyes was walking in a dark alleyway that precise night. A normal civilian would be afraid of walking at night, but he couldn't care less.

He wore a long black, trench coat, thick black trousers and comfortable looking shoes; civilian clothes. His eyes scanned the area mischievously, as if waiting for trouble.

A high pitched scream grasped his attention. Wondering what it was, he turned directions and headed towards the startling sound. His shoes made a soft tap on the cold, hard ground and his breath was hollow and dry.

The scream changed into crying, making the outlandish man even more curious. He turned a corner and saw a young girl lying helplessly on the ground, crying her heart out.

She had long white hair, it appeared to be strange for the man to see such a colour. She huddled her knees together, a large deep gash on her chest; she had obviously been in a fight.

Refusing to move towards her, and instead gripping his hidden necklace for awareness and comfort. The girl stretched her legs out, letting the man see her eyes. One was golden and one was red. This made his curiosity go sky-rocket. This girl was obviously not normal.

He silently approached her, yet still remained in the shadows. The girl's head snapped up, as if she was sensing him coming. Feeling worried, the man came towards the girl's back. He put a hand gently on her shoulder, not certain if he should be soft with the girl or simply kill her.

The girl's head turned to him, her tears pouring down. A small flicker of annoyance danced in her eyes, making him step back. She stood up, wobbling slightly and a dark grimace reached her mouth.

"Wha-?"

She smirked, her eyes changing drastically to a rich red colour; both of them. Her hair turned eerily black and she opened her mouth to reveal long, canine fangs.

The man felt his normal courage stretch out and fade from his grip. He watched, entranced as she changed.

"What are you?" he rasped.

The girl began to laugh gravely before pouncing on him, mainly aiming for his throat.

"Get off me!" he gasped, trying to push her off but she was surprisingly strong. His empathic abilities had failed him; he should have felt the fury and confidence that now reeked from her. He pushed harder and reached into his belt, taking out a long, thin sword. "Don't make me kill you."

"Why should I be worried about my death?" the frightening girl asked, standing up, her eyes burning like a million candles.

"What are you?" he repeated, completely in awe and terror.

"I'm not a vampire if that's what you believe," the girl laughed menacingly.

The man narrowed his eyes, what could this girl be? He quickly crawled backwards, then standing up. He sliced the air with the sword and aimed it at her. The strange girl flicked the sword from his hands.

"H-How?"

"How strong do you really think you are, Blade?" the girl's voice echoed in his head.

He dropped the remains of the sword in shock, "How do you know who I am?" he asked, before releasing an unexpected cough.

"Oh please," the rogue girl laughed, "Your name is known in the criminal world."

"What do you want?" he asked quickly, feeling his shattered courage regaining, never had he been that afraid of another person, especially a young girl.

"Nothing," the girl folded her arms. The disbelieving man lowered his sword, a quizzical line for his mouth.

"I don't believe you, you just attacked me," he argued.

"Relax," the girl smiled casually, "I only did that to get your attention." She turned around and went to leave, "Follow."

"Why? What's in it for you?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"Because I have need of you, that's why," she replied, eyeing him carefully.

"Man, this job stinks at night," Jesse, or Freeze at that moment, wailed.

"Oh shuddap," his friend, now known as Tempest growled at him.

"You guys," Flare, at that current moment, narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry, sorry," Tempest sighed. The three were patrolling a dark area. It was described as the badlands by many responsible adults, including the police. Even they were too scared to come down here.

"I really don't like this place," Flare whined, her eyes locked on the flickering lights of the street lamps.

"We all have to do stuff we don't like," Tempest snapped, "It's part of being a hero."

"The saddest part," Freeze sighed. Tempest glared at him, sick of the bored attitude. They were superheroes, not whiners. A little dark place like this shouldn't be enough to scare them off.

"Let's just...Check the place out and leave," Flare replied.

Tempest sighed, pulling back some of her hair. She then heard a scurrying noise and froze. "What's that?" she questioned.

"Hm?" Flare and Freeze turned their heads to see her, "What?" Flare asked.

Tempest raised a finger to silence them, she then tried to listen out for it. "What _is _that?" she whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Flare narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Just shush!" Tempest angrily growled at her friend, her finger to her lips. She kept trying to listen; trying to find out what exactly that strange noise was. It was like a hushed whisper; clearly trying to grasp her attention.

Stepping forward, she heard it getting lower. Frowning, she turned right.

"What _are _you doing?" Freeze asked, confused.

"There is something out here," Tempest whispered, her red hair flying around almost unnaturally.

"What's going on?" Flare stood by her side, her hazel eyes narrowing.

The sudden smell of smoke caught their attention. "A fire!" Tempest cried out in realisation.

"Oh crap," Freeze ran off, following the tendrils of smoke.

"Wait up!" Flare ran after him, turning her head quickly to see Tempest who hadn't moved. "Come on!" she urged.

"You two go ahead," Tempest replied drily. Her eyes quickly scanned the area. The fire. Was it a decoy? Watching as Flare nodded and turned the corner, she felt stripped of confidence. This place. It wasn't right. She held her wrist, watching anxiously at the still buildings.

Biting her lip, she headed in the opposite direction, her instinct controlling her. Unaware, it began to rain above her. She didn't seem at all taken back at how she was controlling a thunderstorm. Wind rushed past her but she still kept walking; her shoes making a quick tapping sound.

Lightning and thunder crashed behind her but still, she kept walking. It was as if she was in a trance. She then felt a lump in her throat and her heart race as she witnessed strange beams of light from a corner.

Deciding to let her suspicion corrupt her, Tempest continued her path. She put her hand steadily on the wall and scanned the area, looking for the colours. They never appeared again.

"Huh?" Confused, Tempest stepped back. Her eyes widened as she felt heat. She turned around slowly to see a morbid smirk. Tempest gasped, her heart freezing as she stared at the fangs that appeared. "Ah, hell," she shrieked, trying to run. Her legs finally obeyed and directed her across the alleyway.

Panicking, Tempest looked back to see the strange creature following her. She began to use her arms, running faster. It was then that she almost smacked into a wall. "Oh no," she whispered, turning around. The creature came forward, revealing itself from the shadows.

Fear sliced through Tempest, a blast of wind shot at the creature, stunning them. Tempest grinned and raised her hands; a form merging between both arms. A flash of lightning darted at the creature, sending it backwards.

It hissed. Tempest then began to look at it closely. It was a female. Possibly. Rich red wine eyes, black hairs curled like snakes, skin white as paper.

"W-What are you?" Tempest cried out, keeping her palms facing at the creature, ready to shoot out more weather commands.

The strange girl smiled, dusting herself off, her eyes never leaving the frightened weather witch. Her eyes narrowed as she stood up straight.

"G-Get b-back!" Tempest hesitated, stepping forward. "My powers are dangerous! I can kill you if I want!"

"But you're a hero, aren't you?" the creature tilted her head, her voice almost purring.

"Huh?" Tempest's eyes widened, "Oh, yeah, I am."

"Why would you kill me then?" the peculiar girl asked innocently.

"I-"

"You can't," she grinned. Her eyes flashed and the wall around Tempest began to crack and shake. "Can you?"

"N-No!" Tempest looked up, seeing the bricks falling. She screamed, a hurricane surrounding her. Its powerful wrath ripped the rest of the bricks from their stance and hurled around the alleyway. Some were shot out at random objects. She tried to aim one at the creature but she was no where to be seen. Confused, Tempest tried her best to calm the winds but they refused to co-operate and she was sent upwards.

Shrieking, Tempest found herself lifted into the air, the hurricane keeping her protected but also disobeying her. She urgently tried to look for the girl, but all she saw was the bursts of winds. Scrunching up her face in concentration, she put her hands to her head and tried to will it to calm.

She felt a sudden realisation of gravity and was pulled to the ground. She blinked, not being able to soften her fall as she plummeted to the hard ground. Dazed, she peeled herself from the ground. Seeing the world spin, she sat up. Tempest groaned, feeling drugged suddenly.

"Ugh, not doing that again," she grunted, getting to her feet eventually. She scanned the area, no sign of the creature. "Huh?" She then looked at the area and sweat-dropped. "Oh no," everything was demolished. Nothing was left undamaged. Water poured from a building, filling the alleyway. They reached Tempest's ankles.

"See? How easy was that?" the black-haired beauty smirked.

"You just...Left her," a man in a light-weight leather suit, with bounds of armour and weapons covering him, said confused.

"You didn't think I was going to kill her, did you?" the girl laughed. She swung her long, elegant legs over the roof. She watched entranced as the young girl, that she had just spoken to, escaped.

"Yes," the man raised an eyebrow, coughing with his mouth closed.

"Oh, Blade," the enchanting girl tilted her head. "That was merely a test. She is a hero; no doubt about that."

"So, why exactly are we are?" Blade asked, narrowing his piercing blue eyes.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise," came the curt reply.

"I hate surprises," Blade muttered. His throat was dry and itchy and his head was beginning to hurt. No wonder he was in a dreadful mood.

"Relax," the red-eyed girl smiled casually. "This is just a matter of time. We have to figure out who the heroes actually are."

"Why?" Blade raised a thick black eyebrow.

"Because..." the girl sighed. "Listen," she snapped, "I honestly don't need to be a part of this procedure. I'm only a tester. A tracker as well. I find the heroes and _they _will kill them."

They?" Blade questioned.

"Don't-" the girl raised her hand.

"You listen," Blade frowned, standing up, "How do I even know if I can trust you?"

The girl's lips suddenly spread in a menacing smile, "You don't. Simple." She stood up. "As soon as I approve of you, you will join us."

"Us?"

"Blade, Blade, Blade," she tutted, shaking her head, "Asking too many questions can get yourself killed," she grinned.

Blade tilted his head at her. "Huh?"

"Just don't ask," the girl sighed before standing on the edge.

"Are you going?" Blade asked curiously.

"Mhmm."

"You didn't tell me your name," he pointed out.

The girl grinned as she looked at him, her red eyes sparkling, "Libitina Greyscale," she replied and disappeared from his sight.

* * *

At long long T-T -violins playing-... Ouch, my fingers hurt.

Nya~uuu =3 I hope you like.

Many of the characters are not mine, duh. Libitina and Boom Baby are the only characters I own in this, and yes that is Libitina... ^^;


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: Teams

Delphi massaged her temples as she sat politely on a velvet chair. "How long do we have to stay here?"

"Not long," Avatar replied, sighing.

"Oh c'mon guys," Gymnasti-Girl laughed, surprisingly upbeat. "We're here to kick butt, what more do you want?"

"A vacation," Press said sarcastically. Gymnasti-Girl gave him a disappointed look. "What? This hero business isn't just random, it's confusing."

"I know," Avatar hopped on a chair, "It's all connected somehow," she replied thoughtfully.

Delphi folded her arms, "But where does this leave us?"

"Yeah?" Gymnasti-Girl stretched, "Th-This isn't normal, you guys," she appeared to be worried now.

"Hey, don't worry girl," Avatar put her arm on Gymnasti-Girl's head, making the girl giggle in amusement. "Everything will be fine...Sooner or later."

"Thanks for the enthusiasm," Delphi added sarcastically. "It can't be that bad."

"Yeah?" Press sighed and hopped next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "What is up with everything? It's all messed up."

"These criminals... The robberies... The murders," Avatar looked as if she was thinking it through. "It's almost connected, isn't it?"

"Yeah, and what's with the Underground Alliance then?" Delphi pointed to the lower platform where more heroes were gathering around.

"I just thought they could help," Avatar shrugged innocently.

"Where's Veronica?" Gymnasti-Girl asked curiously.

"Hm? She bailed," Avatar replied flatly.

"Why?" Gymnasti-Girl looked at her friend strangely, "I thought she wanted this."

"No," Avatar shook her head, stepping closer to the edge of the platform, "She doesn't care for this. I told her where we last saw Professor Chang and she's gone."

"You don't think..." Delphi stopped, as if sensing something almost unnaturally.

"Gina?" Press asked, his voice full of concern and warmth. Delphi's eyes appeared glassy, a blank expression on her face. Press caught her steadily before she fell.

Avatar realised, "She's having a vision!"

Delphi began to pant harshly, sweating running down her face. "Is it a bad one?" Gymnasti-Girl questioned, her eyebrows knitting together.

"I-I can't be certain," Avatar replied anxiously. "Put her on a chair!" Press nodded and placed the pale girl on the velvet chair, watching as she subconsciously fought something. Her eyes snapped open.

"Gina, are you okay?" Press asked, sitting next to her.

"I-I'm fine," she coughed into her fist. She groaned and released a large breath. "It wasn't that painful," she laughed nervously.

"Can you tell us about it?" Avatar asked gently.

Delphi sighed as she relaxed, "I think I've figured out more about this crime spree," she replied, frowning.

"You have?" Avatar asked, but before she could answer, two girls and a male came forward.

"How long do we have to be here for?" an irritated red-head asked.

Avatar looked at the three curiously. She was certain she saw them before, "Not too long, we're currently thinking things through."

"But this place is kinda obvious, ya know?" The male replied, his spiky black hair falling limply into place as he shook his head. "If criminals found out that it was full of heroes, they'd be on cloud nine."

"I don't get that phrase," the other girl with the sharp hazel eyes frowned. "But yeah, he has a point. Is this place secretive enough?"

Delphi stood up, eyeing them cautiously. She stepped forward. "Let me guess, Tempest," she pointed casually, "Freeze, and Flare."

"That's us," Tempest smiled proudly. Freeze and Flare nodded.

"It's just...We're getting impatient," Flare laughed uneasily.

"I'm guessing a lot of people are," Avatar replied flatly. "But if this programme works out, we can be able to wipe out this...This villain spread."

"We've heard that before," Freeze folded his arms, blowing a strand of jet black hair from his face. "How do we know that you're not the villains and this is a trap?"

Avatar grinned suddenly, pulling Gymnasti-Girl with her. "Because we're Team Squadron!" they said dramatically. Delphi face-palmed. Press sweat-dropped.

"Ignore them," Delphi replied drily. She jumped elegantly off the platform and next to the other heroes. Press followed her lead. "Basically, we believe that these villainous attacks aren't just random."

"Yeah," Tempest nodded slowly. "So?"

"But we also believe that behind these robberies and murders, is a large facility of villains. Do you get it?" Press added.

Flare tried to ignore the coldness from Press. She got enough of that from her boyfriend. "Yeah, we understand, but still... Isn't this all... Too convenient?" she gestured to all of the other heroes.

"We're setting up the Underground Alliance," Delphi narrowed her almond-shaped blue eyes.

"The what-now?" Tempest blinked, confused.

"We're going to see if we can unite all of the local heroes. A bit like the Titans do with the Honourable Titans," Delphi explained impatiently.

Freeze realised, "That's why we're all here."

Delphi nodded and Press grunted, "Just in case," she murmured. She raised her voice, "I've had a bit of a _helping _vision that has guided us to several locations on where this so-called facility is. However, I can't get enough information, so we're going to have to split heroes into teams to work it out."

"Woah, woah, woah, woah," Flare stopped her urgently, "You're going to split us all up?"

"We have no choice," Delphi blinked.

"But we're a team," Tempest wailed, "...Somehow."

"She's right," Press stepped forward quietly, "The only way this is going to work as if we can sort teams in suitable positions."

"For instance, you three are perfect for a team, with different powers. However," Delphi's eyes darted to the right to see all the other heroes, who were patiently waiting, "It can lead to disastrous results, seeing how you both have fire and ice in your abilities."

"How do you know that!" Tempest asked in defence.

"Yeah?" Freeze looked at them suspiciously, "Been spying on us?"

"Oh please," Press snorted, "We just did a little research. We need to know who it is we're capable of trusting." It was almost as if a spark of rivalry had struck between the two teams. Their eyes met bitterly, and their teeth were gritted.

"Fine," Tempest turned around, ready to walk away but stopped and glanced back. "We'll trust you, but if something goes wrong, we're blaming you." She stormed off, literally. Freeze and Flare ran after the infuriated red-head.

"That went well," Press said sarcastically.

"What are we going to do?" Delphi turned to him, her eyes pleading. "If we can't get them to trust us, then how are we supposed to work together?"

Press shrugged, "We're just going to have to try."

"Easy for you to say," Delphi sighed again. "Working together with other teams... It took a lot of courage for them to show up, but splitting teams into teams," she pondered it over.

"You know, it's probably just easier to pick names from a hat and get it over with," Press yawned, before leaping onto the higher platform.

"You're a genius," Delphi retorted. She also got on the top platform and eyed the other girls curiously. Gymnasti-Girl was performing complicated routines of gymnastics, with Avatar watching and applauding. Delphi coughed to gain attention. Gymnasti-Girl froze in a handstand and looked over.

"Hey Gina!" she cheered.

"Yeah, yeah," Delphi sat next to Avatar. "So how are we supposed to organise everyone into teams?"

"Pick names out of a hat?" Avatar suggested. Delphi gave her a dry look. "I don't know, organising by abilities, weaknesses and strengths gets complicated."

"So, you're going for the easy way out?" Delphi asked.

"Yup," Avatar grinned, her dimples appearing.

"Fine," Delphi groaned.

Tempest waved to her fellow team-mates before sliding out of the crowded room, hoping for the bathrooms. She noticed a door with a stick figure of a girl on it and opened the door. Just like any convenient toilets. She checked cautiously to see if anyone else was in it.

Satisfied, the girl changed shape. She appeared taller, her hair long and black, her eyes a rich red. Smirking, the girl locked the door and eyed herself in the reflection. She laughed as her reflection kept changing from her own appearance to a white-haired girl with golden and red eyes.

"You're not coming back," she grinned, before slipping her hand into a bag. She took out a sleek black phone, dialled a phone number and pressed it to her ear. "Yeah, it's me; Libitina," she greeted. "Unfortunate news, Team Squadron are on to us. They're setting up an Underground Alliance."

She paused, listening in. "Yeah, heroes all over America. Mainly Jump City though. Yeah, that's where I am. Did you talk to Blade? Why not?" The black-haired girl frowned, "You want him on our side or not? Contact him... Just do something!"

Gasping, Libitina heard footsteps. "I gotta go," she whispered and switched her phone off. She changed her form again; into the red-head girl and zapped the door open. Relieved, _Tempest_ brushed her hair, eyeing a girl who came in. A light girl with white-blonde hair with a white eye-mask. There was almost an icy atmosphere around her, the imposter noticed.

"Hey," the blonde smiled at her, turning to the mirror. "I'm the Ice Princess, who are you?" she tilted her head curiously.

"Name's Tempest," came the lie.

"Nice," Ice Princess watched her casually. "This is crazy, isn't it?"

"A little," Tempest laughed easily. She took in the long, white dress, the vine-like sleeves.

"So, what? Are you part of a team or something?" Ice Princess asked. She quickly removed a hairbrush from her bag and began to brush her hair, a confident smile on her face.

"Yeah, I guess," Tempest twirled a lock of her dyed red hair around her finger, her eyes dangerously levelling the blonde.

"That's cool," Ice Princess grinned and turned to her, oblivious to the strange suspicious glances. "What are your powers?" she questioned, obviously curious.

"Weather, natural disasters," Tempest shrugged.

"Cool," Ice Princess fixed her mask, making sure to hide her eyes from the other girl. "I'm pretty much all about the frostiness," she smirked, touching running water with her finger, watching as it chilled and blocked the pipe.

"Nice," Tempest grinned. She fixed her unitard carefully and headed out the door. Ice Princess raised an eyebrow.

"She wasn't rude at all," she muttered sarcastically to herself.

"Hey," another girl stopped Tempest. She mentally cursed and turned around. She drank in the tall girl with the sharp blue eyes, long braided brown hair and the relaxed attitude.

"Can I help?" Tempest asked, slightly agitated.

"I'm Hack, I was looking for a ladies room," the girl laughed nervously.

Tempest pointed to the corridor with her thumb. "Down there, when you see a blonde girl inside, you've hit the jackpot," she replied coldly. Hack watched confused as the girl pushed past her and walked off.

Hack would have to check on her later, but now, nature called. She hurried to where she was directed to and entered the bathroom. She nodded to the blonde girl and quickly relieved herself before going over to the sink, peeling her fingerless and palmless gloves down and washing her hands.

"You okay?" Ice Princess asked, "You seem disturbed."

"I'm okay," Hack replied nonchalantly. "Just met someone on the way."

The blonde raised an eyebrow, "Red-head?"

"Yup."

"Did you get a weird feeling from her?" Ice Princess frowned.

"A little, why?" Hack turned to her, curiously scanning the younger girl.

"Wanna do some spying?"

"Sure," Hack shrugged, smirking, "It can give me some excitement in this place. Nothing really interesting has happened yet."

"Tell me about it," Ice Princess sighed, "I don't even know what we're here for."

Hack nodded in agreement, "I'm just worried that there are villains and spies among us," she replied thoughtfully.

Ice Princess' eyes widened in realisation, "Ya know, I did hear that Tempest girl on a phone."

"Hey, you were spying without me," Hack wailed.

Ice Princess put a finger to her lips irritated, "No, I could only hear small portions of it but I distinctly remember her talking about a guy called Blade and Team Squadron being suspicious."

"Blade?" Hack looked puzzled, "Where have I heard that before?" She then realised, "Isn't he a criminal?"

"I think we have a spy among us," Ice Princess grinned. "Let's do some spying of our own," she beckoned Hack to follow her out of the bathroom.

Mercenary frowned as she watched heroes stroll past her. Why was she here again? She looked up to see Avatar and the gang. _Oh yeah_, she thought flatly. Sighing, she jumped on to the higher platform and came face to face with the brunette.

"Leela, please tell me we're doing something," she asked coldly.

"Yes," Avatar wailed, narrowing her eyes sadly at the accusation. "We're just sorting people into teams," she sweat-dropped. Mercenary then noticed the large black hat.

"You _have _got to be kidding me," she face-palmed. "You're doing this randomly?"

"Why not?" Avatar shrugged.

"Do you know how stupid that sounds?" Mercenary scowled at her.

"Yeah," Avatar rolled her delicate eyes. "But we can't decide in a sane way."

"Figures," Mercenary sighed. She turned on her heel, jumping off the platform. "Just make sure I get into a good team, okay?"

"I can't promise that," Avatar sweat-dropped as she gazed softly at the hat. Tears welled up in her eyes in pride as she remembered how it was her genius idea.

"Here come the waterworks," Avatar turned to see the dry-looking Delphi.

"Sorry," Avatar laughed nervously. "I'm excited."

"Somehow," Delphi replied flatly.

"So, you think she's up to something?" Ice Princess asked as she walked with Hack.

"It's obvious," Hack glared at the back of the red-head.

Ice Princess thought of something, "You know, we're all being separated into teams."

"Really?" Hack glanced at her.

"Mhmm, wouldn't it be cool if we got together?" the blonde grinned.

"Totally," Hack grinned back. "And then we can spy on that Tempest girl, see what she's up to."

Ice Princess laughed, "What makes you so sure we'd be able to? I heard after we're settled into teams, we're going to different places."

"Really?" Hack asked, tilting her head curiously. "Got any clue where?"

"I heard Hawaii, Paris and London were up for grabs," Ice Princess grinned.

"Nice," Hack smirked. "If they were using machines, I could have easily tricked them," she sighed.

"I hear they're using a hat," Ice Princess sweat-dropped.

"Original," Hack replied sarcastically.

"I know, right?" Ice Princess gave her a blank look.

"As long as we get into teams soon, I'm getting impatient," Hack shrugged.

"Is that us?" Delphi asked Avatar, who nodded.

"We're all in teams," Avatar beamed, standing up with a piece of paper in her hands.

"Will we call everyone?" Press asked.

"Yeah," Avatar nodded.

A few minutes of utter chaos, everyone was gathered around the Squadron. Avatar coughed and stood up, eyeing the other heroes. She gulped, there wasn't a lot but surely enough.

She tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "Now," she spoke into a microphone. Chatting stopped and all eyes turned to her. "I'm Avatar," she blinked. "And we're the Team Squadron," she directed to Press, Gymnasti-Girl and Delphi. "We've called you here because we believe that there is a secret villain spot that we need to discover. People are getting hurt because of this, and we need your help."

"That's why," Delphi appeared next to Avatar. "We've chosen teams for those that have come. We thank you for your bravery. Now," she turned to Avatar. The brunette nodded calmly.

"We have three specific teams, all with members chosen randomly," she looked down at the paper, trembling slightly with nerves. "The first team, which is to be allocated in Honolulu, Hawaii," several gasps and buzzes of excitement could be heard, "Is Hack," the tanned brunette grinned, "Ice Princess," the blonde smiled in relief, "Tempest," the red-head frowned, "And Hallo." The brown-haired boy grinned.

"Second team," Gymnasti-Girl piped up cheerily, taking the sheet of paper. "Avatar," she pointed to her friend. "Mercenary," the white-blonde-haired girl raised an eyebrow, "Me," she smiled sweetly, "And Amberlee, is that right?" she turned to Avatar. "There's no code-name."

"No, that's my name," Amberlee waved.

"Oh, well yeah, we're being moved to Paris!" Gymnasti-Girl squealed, clearly excited.

"And team three," Delphi moved forward with Press, ignoring her bubbly friend. "Is Press," he raised a hand and waved, "myself," she looked around, "Flare," who smiled softly, "And Freeze." Freeze high-fived his girlfriend. "We're being located in London, England."

During all the chatter of pure excitement, Press looked at Avatar, "You set this up, didn't you?"

Avatar shook her head. "Gina was the one who told me the locations."

Delphi nodded, "I can't tell which one is the exact location, but those three are all connected."

Freeze and Flare were grinning and laughing, "London!" Flare exclaimed.

"I know," Freeze nodded, hugging her. It was then that they noticed Tempest had gone. "Hey, where's Lane?"

"They've located three of our bases," Tempest frowned. "London, Paris and Hawaii. They don't know which one is the true base."

Tempest paused as she held a hand over her phone, glancing to see people pass. Grimacing, she removed her hand and began to talk again. "How's Tempest? Still asleep? Good, as long as I'm undercover and away to Hawaii, the operation will still be secret." She watched carefully at the shadows. "I don't normally shape-shift, so this is new. Luckily, it's working." She stepped out from the alcove, her sharp eyes scanning the area. "Just do what you have to do, and alert Slade."

* * *

**-Gasp- Operation Underground Alliance is all set up, and the teams are chosen ;D**

**If your OC wasn't mentioned, I either forgot about them or couldn't accept them.**

**Hope you like your teams.**

**All of the OCs belong to their owners, duh.**

**BTW CloudyNK, I bet you're wondering why your OC, Tempest, is a spy. ;D It'll all make sense. Bet you can't guess who the spy is.**


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five: We'll Get There...

Leela, Grace, Jen and Amberlee were all standing patiently outside the airport. Each girl was in casual gear, but also tried to be in disguise.

Leela was wearing her long, brown hair in a sharp ponytail. She was wearing a red and black tartan shirt that had a thin black belt across the waist. She has simple dark blue jeans on and a pair of her favourite red converse. Dark sunglasses hid her eyes, and she was carrying a large suitcase.

Grace, who was clearly annoyed, was wearing a black and white plaid corset vest, a small black waistcoat on top, skinny dark grey jeans and converse. A studded belt surrounded her waist and she also wore sunglasses. Her white hair was pulled in a low ponytail, her razor sharp bangs outlined her face.

Jen was happily reading a magazine, teal blue sunglasses hidden among her long honey-blonde hair. She was wearing a light blue sequin boob tube. She wore light white denim shorts too. On her feet were simple light high-heels.

Amberlee was wearing a white tank top, and a small grey, white and green fleece on top, with short sleeves. Her delicate red hair was let loose, as it appeared more wavy than usual. She wore three-quarter length white skinny jeans and grey plimsolls.

Each girl was growing more impatient as they waited for their ride.

"How long do we have to stand here?" Grace finally snapped.

Jen looked up from her magazine. She was sitting on a brick wall with a leg crossed over the other. "Not too long, I presume," she smiled softly.

Grace folded her arms and blew a strand of white-blonde hair from her face.

"Oh, c'mon," Leela grinned, releasing her suitcase as it fell to the ground. She sweat-dropped. "Why does that always happen?" she questioned.

Amberlee shrugged, and helped the brunette pick it up. Her face grew red in the process, "Seriously!" She panted, "What do you have in there?"

"Jen's got ten times more her own weight," Leela protested.

"That I do," Jen called down, cheerily.

"That's not a good thing," Grace barked at her. She turned to Amberlee and Leela. "So, what, we're going to be living together for the next week or so?"

"It appears so," Leela replied, nodding. Grace sighed.

"We're not that bad," Amberlee retorted. Jen began to whistle merrily. "Okay, _I'm _not that bad."

"Aren't you supposed to be a red panda?" Grace snapped.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Amberlee snorted.

Leela face-palmed, how many rivalries did there have to be? "Oh, I don't know. You can only turn into... A red panda?"

"I can also fly and make portals," Amberlee argued spitefully.

"Is that all?" Grace asked flatly.

"And what's your powers then?" Amberlee put her hands on her hips angrily. Her red eyes seemed to almost sparkle with bitter fury. Grace remained calm, staring blankly at the red-head.

"What makes you think I have any powers?" Grace asked smoothly.

Amberlee blinked, "Uh, well..."

"I thought so." Grace walked away, and collected her suitcase.

Amberlee grew red with enmity and embarrassment. How could she have lost so easily? To a powerless human? A spurt of her red panda side burst in her, and the anger burned out.

Sighing, Amberlee grabbed her red suitcase and watched disappointed as the cars drove past.

Leela was chatting away to Jen casually, "So, got any ideas on how to find these villain dudes?" Leela asked.

"My guess... Put a poster on the wall and see who's interested," Jen shrugged, giggling.

"That won't work!" Leela argued.

"Uh huh, how would you know?" Jen put her magazine down and put a hand on her hip.

"Because it's stupid," Leela replied blankly.

"Mhmm, what ideas do you have?" Jen retorted.

Leela sighed in defeat. This journey had made them all bitter, cranky and impatient. No wonder everyone was fighting. She looked at Amberlee curiously. She got a weird feeling from the red-head. One: she didn't know having red eyes was possible. Two: the girl kept changing from emotion to emotion. Three: She seemed permanently hyper, yet haunted also. Leela shook her head, she was probably just paranoid.

Grace felt like punching someone...Or a red-head. She was annoyed, frustrated, impatient and annoyed some more. It was one thing to have to wait three hours for a bus or taxi, or whatever was coming, but to experience arguing with another so-called hero. Frowning, Grace went over to her suitcase and gave it a thorough inspection.

"What are you doing?" Jen blinked, suddenly standing next to the white-blonde.

Grace turned her head slightly, "Just checking if I have everything."

"You've done that eight times already," Jen replied.

"I didn't know anyone was counting," Grace muttered, standing up properly. "Leela, are you sure our ride is coming?"

"Wait... I was to book it?" Leela blinked, confused.

Amberlee paled, "You mean no one booked it?"

"Aww hell," Grace shot her hands up in the air in exasperation. "This day keeps getting better and better!"

Jen giggled, somehow amused. Leela snapped her head to her. Jen's eyes widened in realisation, "But the hotel is seven miles away."

"And we're going to have to walk," Leela sighed, taking hold of her suitcase. "If we miss the deadline for checking in, we won't have anywhere to go."

Amberlee shook her head and began to hover over the wall. Grace narrowed her eyes, "Oi, panda, do you want everyone to know you ain't normal?"

Amberlee shrugged and jumped, landing elegantly on her feet. "I _can _create a portal to the hotel," she said coldly.

Jen turned to her, a blank expression on her face, "And you didn't tell us before?"

"I thought it was obvious," Amberlee scowled. "You guys did read my profile, I'm guessing my powers were in there also." There was a dry sarcasm in her voice as she pulled Jen sideways.

"Hey-!" she was cut short as she just missed a lamp-post. "Oh, thanks."

"Watch where you're going," Leela faced her before walking straight into another lamp-post.

Jen and Amberlee began to snicker. Grace rolled her eyes. Dazed, Leela stepped back and groaned.

"Where do they come from!" Leela demanded. Jen was being held by Amberlee, so she wouldn't fall to the ground from heavy laughter.

"I'm guessing they were there before you decided to waltz straight in their path," Grace replied maliciously.

"Whatever," Leela grumbled, pulling a loose hair behind her ear. Her sunglasses had fallen in the process, so she bent down to retrieve them.

"So, are you going to create a portal for us?" Jen asked the red panda.

Amberlee shrugged, "Sure, anyone have a map?"

"What?" Grace asked, confused and a little smug.

"Well, I can't make a portal to a place if I don't know where it is," Amberlee protested through gritted teeth.

"Fair enough," Leela took a map from a bag. She handed it to Amberlee cautiously. "Are you sure you can do this?"

"Oh, please," Amberlee rolled her ruby red eyes. She then scanned the map, biting her lip anxiously.

"What now?" Grace looked over the girl's shoulder.

"This is a map of the world," Amberlee replied flatly.

"Oh..." Leela took it back and exchanged it. "Here."

"Thanks," Amberlee pointed to the location with her finger. She grinned, her eyes burning brightly. A burst of red light suddenly appeared next to them, spinning wildly. It expanded and looked exactly like a whirlpool. "Hop in," she gestured to it.

"I-Is that t-thing safe?" Jen hesitated, looking at it, concerned.

"Uh huh, but I need you guys to go in first, so I can close it," Amberlee explained, sticking her hand in it. She yanked it back out again.

Leela looked uncertain but took the red panda's word for it and slowly crept into it. She disappeared like a flash.

"Uh, where did she go?" Jen blinked.

"The hotel," Amberlee replied drily, "It _is _a portal."

"Oh," Jen's mouth went sideways as she approached it. She stuck her hand in it and giggled. "It tickles."

"Yeah, yeah," Amberlee helped her in gently. She looked at Grace, who was clearly unconvinced. "I need you to go first, if I go in next and then you, the portal can end up staying open on this side forever," Amberlee explained quickly.

"Fine, but if anything goes wrong-" Grace was cut off as Amberlee shoved her in, narrowing her eyes.

"Just take my word for it, blondie," she muttered. She held the top of the portal and swung in, somehow still grasping the top. As soon as she stepped into the other side, she let go of the portal and it began to shrink. Amberlee swooped down the tunnel, grinning manically. This was always the fun part. It looked exactly like a funnel, as it covered her, with red energy. She slid down, laughing with delight.

She saw white light, and automatically braced herself for the end. She made an X shape with her arms as she fell towards it. Quickly standing up on a stone pavement, Amberlee dusted herself off. She pointed at the portal, red energy zapping from her fingertip and it shrank and disappeared.

"That was so awesome!" Jen yelled in excitement. Amberlee turned to them, a blank expression on her face.

"Trust me, do that a hundred times and it gets boring," she then grinned, "But not to me." She high-fived the girl.

Grace folded her arms, almost disappointed. "It was like a funnel you get at the swimming pool."

Amberlee shrugged, "And they're not fun?"

Leela pouted as she poked Grace, "Oh, c'mon! It was fun, admit it!"

A smile broke out on Grace's face as she sighed in defeat, "Fine. It was okay."

Amberlee smirked in triumph. She looked over and saw the large five-star hotel. "We're here," she pointed at it.

"Due to concerning problems, the flight to Honolulu, Hawaii has been delayed for another two hours," the tannoy buzzed.

Natasha rolled her eyes, "Again?"

Alice laughed casually, sitting at a table, sipping a Coke. "What did you expect?"

"Something better," Natasha replied, chuckling. "Hey, where's that cute guy and the _spy_?"

"Hm?" Alice looked around, with a straw in her mouth. "What cute guy?" she asked, suddenly interested.

"I don't know, short brown hair, brown eyes, cute dimples?" Natasha looked almost confused. "Called Hallo or something."

"Ahh, oh yeah, he's part of our team," Alice remembered, nodding. "I don't know, it's a big place," she shrugged. "But yeah, where is that Tempest girl?" She looked around again, her clear blue eyes scanning quickly.

"Ahh, found her," Natasha pointed to a nearby store. The red-head inside was buying a soda. "Well, that's not interesting," she turned back to the soda on the table and began to drink it. Alice raised an eyebrow at the sudden lack of enthusiasm.

"Hey ladies," someone came to the table. Natasha smiled and nodded to them, allowing them to sit with them.

Alice turned to see them and her eyes widened is surprise. "P-Patrick?" she gasped.

"Holy crap," Patrick paled.

"Uhh," Natasha sweat-dropped, "You two know each other?" She was ignored, so stood up and walked away, feeling dejected. Curiously, she began to follow the red-head around, just to keep tabs on her.

"How long has it been?" Patrick asked, confused. The blonde girl took in his wispy brown hair, the tender brown eyes, the slight chubbiness that still stayed with him, trying to go away and the obvious dimples.

"A while," Alice whispered. Patrick smiled, looking at his old friend. He looked at the sharp but calm blue eyes, the long white-blonde hair, the clear snow white skin. He examined her outfit, a small casual blue t-shirt, black capri trousers and black combat boots. The usual outfit he imagined her to wear.

"Remember the last day we saw each other?" he asked warmly.

Alice nodded slowly, her eyes welling up with tears.

_-Flashback-_

_Two people; a pretty blonde girl and a cute brown-haired boy. Both of them were looking at each other, obviously sad but also excited._

"_This is it," the blonde with the watery blue eyes said softly, trying to smile bravely._

"_Yup," the boy nodded, looking away. "Are you sure we won't be going to college together?" he asked, pressing on._

"_No," the blonde laughed nervously, "We spoke about this before, I'm going to a college that'll help me with my powers, remember?" _

"_Oh, right," the brown-haired boy looked at her with his warm, tender eyes. "I'll miss you Alice," he spoke gently._

"_I'll miss you too," Alice's voice began to choke up with emotions. _

"_Friends forever?" he smiled half-heartedly._

"_Forever, man," Alice hugged him, biting her lip from crying. _

"_I'm sorry we can't keep in touch," he whispered into her hair. "But I promise you that we'll see each other again."_

"_I know," Alice whispered back, pulling away from the hug to watch him carefully. "I know, Patrick, I'll miss you terribly."_

_Patrick nodded softly and kissed her forehead sweetly, before releasing her and walking away._

_Alice hugged herself, determined not to cry as she watched her best friend walk off. Giving up, Alice's tears rolled down her cheeks. "Goodbye Patrick," she whispered to the wind._

_-Flashback-_

"Woah, that was some time ago," Patrick laughed.

"Some time ago?" Alice snorted, "You're making me sound old."

"You are old," Patrick teased.

Alice gasped, pretending to be offended. "**I AM NOT OLD!**"

"Sure you're not," Patrick rolled his brown eyes. Annoyance flickered in Alice's eyes. This just caused Patrick's grin to grow.

Alice sank down the chair, folding her arms. Patrick laughed smoothly. Alice raised an eyebrow at him. "But an entire mission with you," she began. "How fun is that?"

"Very," Patrick grinned, his dimples appearing. Alice felt her heart leap in joy. How she had missed her old friend. How she missed the high-fives, the hugs, the laughter. And now he was back, but then again this very mission could tear them apart again.

Natasha scratched her chin confused, where had the red-head gone? She eyed a computer nearby, and smirked. Walking over to it, she rested her hand on it. Sudden bursts of images reached her mind. The inside of the computer was at her mercy as she examined every piece.

Sitting on the stool, Natasha logged on. She knew the computer only allowed her access for at least ten minutes, but with a single command, she could allow herself for ten more hours.

Her eyes scanned the computer and she pretended to be looking on the internet as people passed. She opened up another document, and focused her mind at the cameras. A page of all the active security cameras came up and she eyed them all. Grinning, Natasha switched the computer off, and hopped off the stool.

Pulling her bag along with her, the brunette kept moving, her eyes locked on her path. Passing by strangers, Natasha noticed that some were almost looking at her. She tugged on her light green t-shirt, a little cautious.

Natasha then spotted the red-head wearing a simple grey t-shirt, light blue casual jeans and yellow converse. Quietly, the tall brunette walked towards her target.

Lane just bought a magazine and smiled softly at the cashier. Stepping out of the shop, she noticed the brunette, she remembered as Natasha. Raising an eyebrow, Lane put a hand on her hip.

Natasha hurried over, "Thank God!" she blurted out, "Look, Lane, is it?"

Lane nodded slowly, a little curious towards the girl. "Can I help you?"

"Can I borrow your phone?" Natasha asked. Lane hesitated. The girl looked as if she desperately needed it.

"Um," Lane opened up her backpack and took out a sleek, black phone. She bit her lip, remembering her secrets were placed in that small device. Deciding nothing bad could really happen, she handed it to the girl. "Don't be too long," she said drily.

"I won't," Natasha sighed with relief, "Thanks so much, I'll bring it back as soon as I'm done with it."

"Okay," Lane zipped up her bag and watched as the brunette left her. She frowned, did she just make a big mistake.

Natasha smirked as she held the slim black phone in her hand. "Time to see who she really is," she giggled, stepping outside.

It was an okay day. The sun was trying to break out the pale grey clouds and a gentle wind brushed against her exposed skin. People walked past her, and a few smokers were huddled in a corner. Taxis' and cars whirled around the large building and she even noticed a dog tied to a post.

Holding up the phone, Natasha glared at it, connecting her mind to the device. She felt a rush of power strain at her head, and even felt a tug. Protection, Natasha smirked. This girl was definitely hiding something.

Natasha broke down the barriers and saw a list of contacts she never expected to see. Blinking, Natasha's eyes observed names such as Slade, Professor Chang, Mad Mod, Red X, Brother Blood, Black-Cat, Hypnosis, and more.

Natasha felt dread slice through her like a butter-knife. This girl was bad news. And now she had the contact details to some of the most dangerous villains out there. Grabbing a notepad and a pen, Natasha placed the phone on top of her bag and began to write down some of the most essential numbers.

Taking a deep breath, the brunette disabled her mind to the phone and watched as it switched itself off. There was one thing though. Natasha knew Lane by her reputation, but how exactly could she be a spy? Switching the phone on again, Natasha read the messages. Her eyes widened.

_Yes, indeed. The girl proves to be difficult but her powers have been disabled. She is no longer a threat, so you can easily blend in with the heroes. Thank you Libitina, you're doing a great job as part of S.T.R.I.K.E. Contact us as soon as you have made any more process._

Natasha gasped, and skimmed past the messages until she reached a recent one.

_How the bloody hell did you manage to do this so smoothly? My knickers are being twisted in nerves. Just get out alive, and stay in one piece, my ducky. Mod. _

Natasha raised an eyebrow at that message. _This isn't making any sense, _she thought miserably. Was this spy really called Libitina? What was S.T.R.I.K.E? And why was she spying among the teams?

Natasha's eyes widened in realisation. S.T.R.I.K.E was the operation behind it all. Libitina was a member, and she had attacked a hero and pretended to be her. Natasha gasped, and threw the phone on her bag. She stepped back uneasily.

She turned around to see _Lane. _Her sharp eyes were suspiciously observing the nervous brunette.

"Y-You!" Natasha shook her head. "You're a spy!"

Lane sighed, "I guess you found out then," she smirked dangerously. Her eyes flickered to a red colour. Natasha's eyebrows shot up. "_Follow_," she said hauntingly. Natasha stiffened, she no longer had control of herself. She followed the spy through the airport and into the toilets. Lane was carrying the bags and her phone.

"Let me go!" Natasha tried to scream as she was released in the ladies' toilets. She ran for the door but something blocked her. She then managed to scream.

More than an hour had passed and Natasha was no where to be seen. Alice was getting worried. The tannoy went off, declaring their plane was ready. She gathered her suitcase and sighed. She would get there soon enough.

She walked off, on Patrick's side. She noticed the red-head coming towards them, who smiled casually. "Hey, have you seen Natasha?" she asked.

"No," Alice shook her head gently, "I saw her about an hour or so ago, but not again."

Patrick nodded in agreement, "Haven't seen her either."

"Hm," Lane looked puzzled, "Let's just hope she's okay," she replied, before moving towards the plane with them, a sinister grin on her face.

"We're here!" Annalee announced happily. She clutched onto her Caucasian boyfriend who smiled casually at her.

"Yup," he glanced at the large hotel. It looked clean, white and definitely classy. "This part of England is rather..." he made a rolling gesture with his hands, not certain what to say. "Elegant?"

Gina sighed at them, watching as Dave looked around. "So, what do you think?" she asked.

"It definitely has its class," Dave replied flatly. "I wonder if there are any posh snobs around."

"Come on, the Brits can't be as bad as Mad Mod," Gina rolled her sparkling blue eyes.

"You've got a point, I think he got kicked out of England," Dave grinned at her.

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Hey," Annalee turned to them, "So do we just check-in?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Gina and Dave nodded instantly. "We have four separate rooms, but you and Jesse are joined, as well Dave and I."

"Gotcha," Annalee grinned, pulling Jesse along with her. "Come on! I want to see my room," she pleaded to him with her sharp but sweet hazel eyes.

Jesse sighed in defeat, "Fine." The brunette grinned again and led him into the hotel.

Dave glanced at Gina, and they both began to chuckle. "We were never that bad," Dave smiled cheekily.

"I must admit, I was the leader of us," Gina laughed and pulled him to the hotel.

She gasped in surprise at the definite luxury and grace the hotel had. It had large glass windows that allowed her to see many people inside. There was a long stone wall that stopped near the entrance. The door was a large white arch, joined to three stone steps. It was tiles that then led to the pavement.

A small fountain lay in front, with clear blue water that spurted out every so often. She looked over to see a quaint garden, filled with vegetables, some fruit and more. She could see a gardener planting more seeds.

On the other corner was a warm swimming pool. Already, kids were laughing as they jumped in. There was a maze of hedges behind it and all kind of statues. Pulling along the bags, her and Dave reached the entrance and stepped inside.

Already they were in the hotel lobby. A man stood behind the counter, offering keys and rooms. A woman was offering samples of delicious fruit juice in glasses and even wine. Sofas were huddled in a corner and a large rectangular rug joined them with the counters.

It was definitely a welcoming place.

"What do you think?" Dave asked, curious.

"It looks amazing," Gina replied.

"Let's get our keys and get our rooms," Dave suggested, going over to the man with keys. "This is Gina Demetrius, and I'm David Parker," he told them. "We booked two joined rooms?"

"Oh, of course," the man smiled. He did have a strong, polite English accent and he had short neat brown hair. He quickly turned a few pages in a black booklet and made a "Aha" noise. "Yes, you madam," he nodded to Gina. "Will be staying in room two-zero-six and you sir," he directed to Dave, "Will be room two-zero-seven. I hope you enjoy your visit," he seemed like a friendly guy. "Hey, Daniel, would you mind taking luggage up to the joining rooms, two-zero-six, and two-zero-seven for our newest guests?"

Another man came up, he looked quite innocent with his delicate light blue eyes and short blonde fluffy hair. "Of course." He carried the luggage past the corridor, with Gina and Dave following.

Annalee was loving her new room. It was large, with cream walls and wooden floors. She had a king-sized bed, a large walk-in wardrobe, an en suite bathroom, a plasma TV and a sofa. There was a painting of a fruit bowl above her bed but she failed to notice it. She hopped onto the bed and spread herself out.

"Yeah," she sighed happily, "I'm gonna enjoy this." Leaning forward, Annalee noticed a leaflet on the dressing table and slid off the bed and held it up.

She read it through, scanning past activities; the spa treatments, the gym, the late-night bar. She smiled to herself but then frowned. If the reason she was here was to dig up dirt about this criminal organisation then how could she go to all these fantastic offers? Feeling dejected, Annalee sat back on her new bed and pouted.

Jesse came in, looking flushed and happy. "Hey Annalee," he smiled at her.

"Hey," Annalee grumbled.

"What?" the black-haired boy asked. "No mints on your pillow?"

"Yeah," she pointed, "But think about it. This hotel has so much to offer, but we're hardly on a vacation."

Jesse sighed, knowing she was right. He sat down next to her, clasping her delicate hand. "Let's just try and see what we can do in our free time," he smiled sweetly at her.

Annalee tilted her head to face him but she wouldn't smile back, "What free time?" she whispered.

Jesse shook his head in exasperation and hugged her. "We'll go to the pool later, try to cheer you up."

"Thanks," Annalee smiled as she glanced at herself in the mirror. _This should be okay then_, she thought.

* * *

**The title of the chapter was really bugging me, I kept changing it... -.-;**

**But yeah, new chapter. What do you think?**

**-gasp- Has Hack been kidnapped now? OwO Keep reading!**

**The OC's belong to their owners... Duh...**


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six: S.T.R.I.K.E

On a isolated island stood a large building. Grey walls, helicopters on top, strict guards in uniforms.

This was S.T.R.I.K.E : **Scientific Technical Remotely Isolated Killer Exhibit. **The island hidden from the map. It was united with nearly every villain the world had to offer. It was the main facility, the top of the charts.

However, no hero really knew about it. It was a secret lair basically, and anyone who was not a welcomed guest would be killed if they stepped even slightly on to the island.

Somewhere inside a meeting was taking place, the room was filled of world-known villains, each more dangerous than the last. On a large platform stood Slade, Professor Chang, Hypnosis and Mad Mod. They all stood proudly.

Hypnosis coughed, the villains quieting down. "Thank you," she said flatly. Her long red hair came down in wavy curls. Her startling and hypnotising green eyes scanned every single person. "Now, we welcome you here today," she politely bowed. "My name is Hypnosis and these are my fellow colleagues," she gestured towards the others.

"Our top priority is to keep this base hidden from the world, and to do that we need to wipe out those who know," she explained.

Several villains piped up in agreement. "Yet," Slade came forward, his dry, mechanical voice striking fear into the weaker of villains. "Several so-called heroes have already discovered that we exist."

"Bring the girl in," Professor Chang said menacingly.

A large door opened and two guards came in, pulling a semi-conscious red-head with half-open emerald green eyes. She was quite tanned but bruises seemed to peek out from her skin.

"Tempest," a whisper cried out.

"Yes," Hypnosis replied darkly. "Our other colleague, Libitina Greyscale has in fact, gone undercover in this _Underground Alliance_. Tempest here was quickly taken, and Libitina has copied her appearance."

Tempest blinked, waking up some more and was faced with one of her nightmares. A room filled with millions of villains. "Ahh!" she yelled. "Let go off me," she squirmed, but the guards had a strong grip on her, each wearing an emotionless mask as their faces.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but until Libitina wipes out the Underground Alliance, you'll have to remain here," Hypnosis smiled sweetly.

Tempest growled, a wide strand of her hair falling in front of one of her eyes. She felt cold, furious, hungry and tired. Everything was becoming complicated. How did she get here and why was she here?

"Of course, Libitina had been slightly foolish not too long ago, and another member of Underground Alliance sought out her phone which had most of your contact details," Hypnosis continued. "And she gathered information and was going to speak to the other members. However..." Another two guards came in holding a tall, tanned girl with dark brown braided hair. "We put a stop to that."

The tall, slender woman put her hands on her hips, "Take them back to the cells," she demanded of the guards. "And expect more," she added darkly.

Turning back to the villains she smirked, "Now you see how important our job to remain secret is."

More agreements were made from the lower platform. "And Underground Alliance has discovered three main locations," Slade added gravely.

"Hawaii, Paris and London," Mad Mod replied, his bland eyes watching eagerly into the crowd.

"But if they discover this place, we're doomed!" someone in the crowd yelled. People began to rant and argue.

Hypnosis sighed, shaking her head. Putting her hand up, she created green flashes of light and shot them above the villains. Each member looked up at it dazed. The red-haired woman clicked her fingers and it disappeared, making everyone look at her.

"Thank you," she said drily. "Yes, if they do discover our lair, we could be in trouble. However," she began to step off the platform, going towards a large screen. She tapped it and options came up as well as a map. "Libitina has made sure to get a scan of each individual member, and we can track them, wherever they go." She smirked, tapping another button.

Slade coughed for attention, "We thank you all for being with us. That is all."

The room, slowly, began to empty of villains. As soon as it was just the leading members, Hypnosis stepped onto the platform, her eyes dangerously levelling the other members. Her head snapped around to the doorway and she smiled.

"Blackcat," she nodded. "I'm glad you could make it."

Mad Mod and Professor Chang gave each other confused looks, as Slade walked out.

"I wouldn't have missed it for all the tuna in the world," Blackcat replied, standing in the light. Hypnosis grinned as she studied the young girl. Blackcat had striking yellow eyes, black furry ears popped out from her head, a tail was seen behind her, long wavy brown hair and sharp feline teeth.

"I'm delighted that you've accepted our invitation," Hypnosis clasped her hands together. Blackcat walked up to the older woman in powerful, confident yet hunting steps. They shook hands, and Hypnosis managed to make out claws instead of fingernails.

"Being a part of S.T.R.I.K.E? It's an honour," Blackcat replied. The cat-girl studied her superior closely. Hypnosis had startling auburn hair, that floated past her waist. She had a sharp, pointed face, very clear peachy skin, bright green eyes, a pouty mouth covered with dark red lipstick and a small nose.

She was tall, definitely. Very slender and curvy. She seriously couldn't be past her twenties' in age. The woman wore a long ivy green cloak, with a large circular clasp. She wore a darker green cat-suit, lighter green knee-length boots, and gloves. A delicate belt surrounded her waist.

"Good," the woman smiled casually. "I want to show you two of our newest guests," there was a coldness to her voice, capturing Blackcat's interest. "Have you heard of the Underground Alliance?" she asked, leading the brunette out of the room and past guarded corridors.

"Some hero thing?" Blackcat replied, confused.

"Precisely, they're onto us, and we've captured two of their members," Hypnosis boasted proudly.

"Already?" Blackcat followed the woman through a locked door. Hypnosis nodded, opening it and taking the younger girl into a darker room. Large cells surrounded them. Inside one was Hack, and in the other was Tempest. "What an accomplishment," Blackcat blinked, amazed.

"Yes, we favour these girls highly," Hypnosis laughed.

Blackcat nodded, "So, you captured these girls, yet the others are still free?"

"We wouldn't want to arouse suspicion," Hypnosis replied bluntly, leading the girl to another room.

"Why is this place so big?" Blackcat asked, staring at the endless corridors.

"We have six floors," Hypnosis replied quickly, "Each with different resources. A lot of our clients and allies do tend to stay here temporarily. It's on an isolated island, not many can find that much tranquillity."

"I see," Blackcat said thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing. "So the purpose of this facility is to keep you colleagues safe?"

"Basically, yes," Hypnosis led the younger girl into another room filled with screens. Blackcat blinked, confused.

"Spying, much?" she noticed that some screens were recorded in hotels with people walking through the corridors.

"We only want to see how well our enemies have come to discovering us," Hypnosis smiled slyly, closing the door and stepping onto the hard, metal floor. Her heeled boots made a small tapping sound as it conflicted with the stubborn floor. "I they know too much, it'll be easy enough to round them off."

"That's cheating," Blackcat smirked.

"I never did play fairly," Hypnosis chuckled. "Well, if you're willing to join us then your first task would be to watch over Tempest and Hack."

"Guard work?" the younger girl blinked.

"They're too weak to try and escape. Just make sure they don't do anything...Drastic," Hypnosis, with her hands behind her back, left the room. Blackcat bit her lip nervously, already tasting the metallic droplets of blood.

"You're new?" came a voice. The brunette blinked and looked over to see a fair-skinned girl with hot pink hair and startling orange eyes. She wore a blood-red boob-tube and and a black mini-skirt. She wore black ankle boots and a red studded belt. Short black gloves covered her hands and she put them on her waist. "I haven't seen you before," she almost said suspiciously.

"I'm Blackcat," the girl replied, tilting her head slightly.

The pink-haired girl raised an eyebrow, "Uh huh, I'm Lava Girl."

"Wait, wasn't that from Shark Boy and-"

"Don't start," Lava Girl raised her hand sharply.

"Sorry," Blackcat shrugged. Lava Girl rolled her eyes.

"Newbies are always the first," the hot-pink-haired girl sighed.

"Hm?"

"How long do you reckon you'll survive here?" the other girl asked dangerously.

Blackcat thought about it, "I don't know, a while?"

Lava Girl snorted, shaking her pink hair in disapproval, "Just stay on the good side of the higher guys and you'll be fine."

"Thanks for the advice," Blackcat raised a slim eyebrow.

"Don't mention it," Lava Girl strolled from the room, leaving the brunette to ponder over her situation.

Her piercing eyes slowly crept towards the screens. Grunting, she pulled herself from her stance and tapped towards the main screen. The girl folded her arms, and watched curiously. "S.T.R.I.K.E, huh?" she thought out-loud, "This should be interesting."

* * *

**Hey, been a while, hasn't it? **

**Sorry this chapter is a bit of a disappointment; I have been really ill and busy recently so it was difficult to increase any enthusiasm towards my stories, which suffered tremendously. I'm still quite busy now, so this chapter is short.**

**This is probably quite a boring piece, but it had to be done. Hopefully, you'll still like it to some extent. **

**All of the OCs used in the story belong to their appropiate owners.**


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: Progress At Last

Days had already past and each team of the Underground Alliance was struggling to find any information. Every so often; a team member would declare that they found something, but it was really a dead end.

"This can't go on!" Leela threw her hands up in despair and fell on her bed. Amberlee and Jen gave her a strange look but Grace kept reading over the documents on her laptop. "We don't have a single clue!"

"What about Gina's vision?" Jen piped up, beginning to brush her soft hair.

"It shows a building, but nothing else," Leela replied flatly, while still lying on the bed. She stared at the stars printed on the ceiling and began to count them absently.

"She's down for the count," Amberlee whispered to Jen. Jen giggled.

"We _could_ check the area for a building like that," Grace said slowly. She had closed her laptop in annoyance.

"That will take forever," Amberlee muttered.

"Do you have a better idea?" Grace snapped at the red-head. Amberlee shrugged. "Didn't think so."

"Oh, c'mon guys. Don't fight," Jen exclaimed, her facials pinched in worry, "I wouldn't know who to bet on!"

"Are you kidding me?" Grace raised an eyebrow, "She's just a flying, talking panda."

"A lot more than that, bitch," Amberlee snorted. The two girls stared daggers at each other. Jen whined before bouncing off her chair and running to the bed. She pushed Leela urgently, but the brunette seemed to happily lie there.

Jen looked confused, "Leela, get up!" she demanded. Leela still didn't respond. "What can_ I _do?" she looked over at the two girls. Amberlee's red eyes were narrowed and seemed to gleam with a mean spark. Grace's eyes were cold and unforgivably and her muscles were tensed up. "Please don't fight, you guys!"

Jen shook her head in despair, before something caught her eye. "Guys?" she hesitated. "Was there a note there before?" she pointed to a cream card, stuck to the mirror with cello-tape. She pulled it off and examined it, her face paling.

"What's wrong?" Leela finally came back, leaning forward.

"This," Jen handed it to Leela, her hands shaking. Grace and Amberlee snapped out of their stare-wars and turned to face them.

"What is it?" Amberlee asked softly.

Leela scanned it and read it out-loud, "We know you're after us. Stop it now or get killed."

"Okay, who wrote that?" Grace accused.

"No," Jen shook her head rapidly. Amberlee kept a straight face, her eyebrows slightly up in worry. Leela bit her lip.

"'Cause this isn't funny," Grace narrowed her eyes at them.

"We know," Amberlee barked.

Grace took it and examined it, frowning. "Who could have written it?" The others shrugged. "What's S.T.R.I.K.E?"

A pang of realisation struck Amberlee, "S.T.R.I.K.E!" she exclaimed.

"Uh, yeah," the blonde raised an eyebrow.

"It's a villain facility," she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"What?" Leela gave her a confused look.

"Oh my God," she stood up, taking the piece of card, "My father's a member!" she blurted.

"A member?" Jen questioned.

Amberlee took a deep breath, "S.T.R.I.K.E is a hidden facility used by most of the world's villains."

"And you didn't tell us this earlier?" Grace asked coldly.

"I didn't know this was connected," Amberlee blinked.

"But a villain facility, that's usually top secret," Leela thought for a moment. "Which means no good guys are supposed to know about it. This could be a chance of a lifetime, we can hit them in the centre!" she began to bounce ecstatically.

"I-I don't think that's a good idea," Amberlee hesitated. She looked at the note, her face a picture of pure terror. "S.T.R.I.K.E is bad news, anyone who knows about it is supposed to be dead."

"Why do you know about it then?" Grace put her hands on her hips.

"Because a lot of members fear my father," she replied quietly. "And then they fear me."

"Who is your father?" Leela asked.

Amberlee sighed, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"But this could make you a suspect on all these murders and thefts," Grace explained gravely.

"I know-I just don't-," Amberlee shook her head in confusion. "I don't know exactly who my father is," she frowned.

"You don't?" Jen put her hand on Amberlee's shoulder comfortingly.

"My mother refused to tell me who he was," she sighed.

"Okay, so now we know that S.T.R.I.K.E exists, but where is it?" Grace asked, earning a glare from Leela.

"I don't know that either," Amberlee blinked, staring at the card. "It's still either these three locations, but I can't remember which one."

"How can you not remember?" Grace scowled at her.

"I was told when I was three years old and no more," Amberlee raised her hands in defence.

"But you should be able to tell the difference between these three locations," Grace shrugged.

"I was told that two were a minor part, with a small base but one was the main part," Amberlee frowned. She shook her head, "I really can't remember which one though." She sighed and peered out of the window, lifting the curtain. "But I know it's somewhere."

Hesitating, Alex removed the phone and dialled the familiar number again. "Veronica, it's me. Again. When you get this message, call us."

Claire jumped on the sofa, and curled up next to the blonde. "You're overreacting, she'll be fine," she yawned.

"But she hasn't contacted us for four days, I'm worried about her," Alex frowned.

Claire shook her head at her, "She's a big girl; she can look after herself," she rested her head on her paw and closed her eyes. Alex grumbled at her before dialling her friend's number again. "Give it up," Claire muttered before dozing off.

"V is our friend, and something is wrong," Alex rested her head in her hands. There was something going on with her red-head friend. She had last seen her in that café after Veronica had asked for help. Alex felt her pulse rising. Maybe Veronica had already left and was looking for Chang by herself. "Oh no," Alex looked out the window, uncertain. "She wouldn't."

Veronica was looking at a map. "Ah would have thought Paris was more specific," she scowled at it. She looked up to see a plane passing. "Hm..."

Turning on her heel, Veronica ran ahead. Her red hair fell from its ponytail. She kept running until she saw what she had wanted. Docks. Clambering down the stairs, the girl hurried towards a man, who was tending to a boat.

"Excuse meh?" Veronica asked, not certain if she was able to use English.

The man turned and smiled. "Ah, tourist, yes?" he asked politely.

Veronica nodded, "Would y'all be able to steer meh to an island?" she asked.

"An island, huh?" he had an evident French accent but his English seemed to be exquisite. Veronica handed him the map. "Wow, I have never seen such many islands."

"They're hidden from many maps," Veronica explained quietly.

"I see," the man stroked his beard. "Which one do you wish to go to?"

"This one," Veronica pointed to the largest one. There was a barrier of red around it; clearly of danger.

"Are you sure, little lady?" the man frowned. "It looks a little too dangerous."

"Ah'm positive," Veronica nodded firmly.

"Well," he hesitated, "I guess I could let you go; but for the rent of a boat..."

"Ah only have American dollars," Veronica sighed. The man looked out to the sea, his eyes a burning blue colour. There was a spark of kindness inside.

"Hm, I'm not sure if I can accept dollars, but I'll let it go," he nodded. "But if you can help me out with something, I'll let you go for free."

"What?" Veronica blinked.

"Well, this boat here," he patted the side of it, "Is one of my best but I can't seem to start it. There seems to be some kind of blockage. Can you have a look?"

Veronica edged towards it before grimacing. She hopped to the end of the docks, and bent her knees to get a better look. She came back, "Y'all have rocks in front of it."

"Really?" the man blinked, surprised. "I never saw them," he approached the red-head and bent down to see them, "Oh."

"Ah can get rid of 'em for ya, but y'all must promise nawt to tell anyone what y'all are about to witness," Veronica replied sternly.

"Of course," the man nodded, a little uncertain. Veronica took a deep breath before removing her left glove. The man's eyebrows raised as he saw how abnormal her hand looked. Golden lines covered each finger and danced around her hand. He frowned; _That's not normal_, he thought curiously.

Veronica touched the tip of the rock and it exploded, shaking the boat. It was relieved to be free from its mighty grasp.

"Oh mon Dieu !" the man gasped.

"Shh," Veronica whispered before placing her glove back on. "Please don't tell anyone y'all saw that."

"I-I won't," the boat-keeper shook his head.

"Good," Veronica smiled. "Now about that ride?"

"Oh, of course," he held the girl up and led her into the boat, carrying her map. "We'll be there soon enough." Veronica smirked as the boat started, her gaze set on the horizon.

Meanwhile, in Honolulu, Hawaii, the three heroes sat relaxed by the pool, which was thankfully empty. Alice Secrets stretched lazily on the large inflatable float, while Lane Wilson sat, typing on her laptop. Patrick Lipton sat on a bench, but kept stealing glances at the blonde. He was still in shock but he was trying to keep it at minimum.

Lane yawned and stretched, before typing some more on the laptop. A beeping sound came from it and she blinked in surprise. Alice turned on her stomach and glanced over. Patrick noticed something strange and lifted himself from the bench and came up to the red-head.

"What's up?" he asked.

Lane was quiet as she observed the message that she received. _Oh no_, she thought. She scanned it again and pretended to be thrilled. "Team three's figured out who's behind this."

"What?" Alice drawled lazily, lifting her head. "Who?"

"A big villain facility called S.T.R.I.K.E," she replied, reading it over, just in case.

"Cool, some progress at last," Patrick grinned.

_Yeah_, Lane thought sternly before nodding at him. Alice slipped from her float and swam to the edge. She climbed out of the pool and approached them.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Yeah, they're wondering why we aren't doing anything," Patrick raised an eyebrow as he read over Lane's shoulder. "How do they know that?"

"Webcam," Lane grumbled.

"Oh." Lane nodded, keeping the laptop on her lap as she fixed the ponytail of her hair.

"Yeah, Avatar is paranoid," she shrugged. "She's trying to make sure none of us are spies."

"Pfft, really?" Alice laughed. Lane chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. "Well, I'm going to go swim now," Alice stretched, showing off more of her white bikini, making Patrick blush.

"On you go then," Lane adjusted the dark sunglasses that covered her emerald eyes. Alice grinned before walking over to the pool and jumping it. However, she didn't make it to the water.

"Alice!"

Alice gasped as she felt her foot being crushed. Her eyes widened as she noticed the water freezing over. "Oh God," she whispered. Patrick rushed over but slipped on hidden ice and his chin connected with the ground. Lane watched but showed little interest as Alice began to fall deep.

Alice cried out as her body became wet, yet cold. She was finally touching the water but was sinking and the ice was surrounding her. She tried to swim upwards but the water was heavy and dragged her down.

Patrick groaned, his hands and knees on the ground. He looked up at Lane, who was still sitting. "Do something!" he yelled at her.

Lane removed her glasses, irritated, "She's the one who controls ice, let her save herself," she frowned at him before placing them back on. Patrick gave her a confused look.

"But she'll drown!"

"If that's what you believe, then go save her," Lane added coldly. Patrick growled before staggering to his feet and approaching the pool.

Alice whined as she managed to reach to the surface but a thick layer of ice blocked her way. _Let me out_, she pleaded in her mind. She placed her hands on the wall but nothing happened. The blonde cried out as she felt the need for air.

Patrick's arm changed shape into a gun and he fired bullets at the wall of ice but they bounced off. His eyes widened as he realised he couldn't do anything. "Please help yourself," he whispered.

Alice began to feel tired and her arms and legs were numb. She bit her lip nervously and tried to pound the ice but it wouldn't move. Her hair blocked her view for a moment. The girl turned around to see a small gap of normal water and swam, slowly but surely, towards it.

"What's she doing?" Patrick wailed.

"Saving herself," Lane replied. She looked over to see the gap and frowned. Her eyes were changing colour, and then the ice shot over the gap. The girl with the sunglasses blinked and her eyes changed back to green.

"Oh no," Patrick tried to shoot the ice again, but it failed. He crept onto the slippery surface, and slid forwards. He grunted as he fell on his stomach but he saw the distressed blonde. He mouthed something to her but she couldn't understand it.

Alice was feeling very weak and was beginning to lose hope. She tried to pound the ice again but something stopped her. Something paralysed her. Almost. The girl's eyes widened as she saw tendrils of darkness swim around her until they covered her. She screamed as best she could until it covered her being and made her disappear.

Patrick changed his hand into a large indestructible machine and smashed the ice. He slid into the gap and looked around eagerly. _Alice, where are you? _He searched around frantically but the girl was no where to be seen.

Lane placed her laptop down and walked elegantly over to where Patrick had slipped. She didn't even slow down yet she didn't slip. She went to the gap and thought about closing it to cut off Patrick's air but didn't want to raise suspicion, so placed her arm down and helped the boy up.

Patrick gasped as he lunged forward. He lay down for a moment before glaring at Lane. He threw himself at her, and pinned her down. "You didn't help at all! She's gone and you did nothing!" he yelled at her, his wet hair falling over him like a hood and causing droplets of water to fall on to Lane's face.

Lane looked worried. "How did she disappear?" she said through gritted teeth, trying to push the boy off. Patrick ignored her for a moment before sighing and releasing her.

"I..." He looked at the gap of clear water, "I don't know. I didn't see."

"We have to alert another team," Lane frowned. "There's only the two of us, there's obviously something taking us down. One by one," she added darkly.

Patrick sat, but pulled a knee up and looked at her steadily. "You didn't help," he said blankly.

Lane sighed, "I didn't know she would disappear."

"You should have helped me," Patrick whined.

"I should have," Lane shook her head in despair, "but it was her element."

"There's only the two of us," Patrick stared at the gap again.

"First Hack and now Ice Princess," Lane said thoughtfully, standing up. Patrick's pupils slid over to meet Lane's gaze. "One of us could be next, let's just call team one."

"Why not team three?" Patrick asked. "The leader of Teen Squadron is on that one."

"We'll contact both," Lane said before walking off. Patrick's gaze lingered on her for a moment before turning back to the hole.

"Where did you go?" he whispered.

Dave walked to Gina's room to hear her talking to herself. "Huh?" He opened the door and saw she was on the phone. "Oh."

"Yes, Ice Princess too?" he heard her speak softly. "Do you want us to send someone over? Are you sure? Of course..." she trailed off. Dave leaned on the wall, watching the girl. "Goodbye then," she hung up and sighed. "Ice Princess disappeared."

Dave blinked, "Team two?" he questioned.

Gina nodded slowly and stood from the chair, "This is worrying. It could also man that this facility knows about us and is taking us down. My guess is that it's settled in Hawaii now."

Dave sighed before hurrying over to her, "We don't know that for sure," he said gently.

"But we haven't had any results yet," Gina shook her head stubbornly, "And this is getting more serious than we thought. Two members of team two have already gone missing!" She threw her arms in the air in exasperation.

"Gina, I know," he held her quickly and comfortingly. She buried her head into his chest as he looked at a note on the table. "Have you been writing something?" he asked.

"Hm?" Gina removed her head from its position, and looked over, "Yeah, Tempest also mentioned that Leela and Jen have figured out more about this facility. She wasn't on long to tell me what."

"Should we call them?" Dave asked, picking the note up and reading it.

"If you think it'll help," Gina shrugged. "Where's Annalee and Jesse?" she questioned.

"Hm?" Dave glanced at her for a moment, "Jesse promised Annalee to go to the salon," he shrugged. "That's my guess."

"Oh, and you haven't taken me there yet," Gina put her hands on her hips. Dave's eyes widened and he laughed nervously.

"I didn't know you wanted to get," he stepped back, sweat-dropping.

"Really?" Gina raised an eyebrow.

"Uh huh," Dave nodded quickly and stepped back. "I'm just gonna go now," he rushed and ran from the room.

The psychic smirked, _still works_.

* * *

**-nosebleed-...Finally! :3 Hope you like it. I actually only started this chapter today ^^; That's why it's rather cruddy but I wanted to upload a chapter...As soon as possible.**

**-gasp- Has Alice been captured? Where is Veronica going? Will Leela and team three discover the real location of S.T.R.I.K.E? Find out soon! ...Probably, I haven't decided yet, mwuahaha.**


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Captured

Veronica grinned as she approached the island. She nodded to the man that had sailed her over. He nodded back, smiling warmly and began to steer away.

The red-head bit her lip as she saw more of the island. The large grey building stood proudly in the middle, a helipad was clearly on the roof, with a helicopter. Trees cowered around the area, providing maximum shade.

She could detect heart-beats and heard small words from conversations. The girl jumped from the large collection of rocks and jogged towards the trees. She hid behind a very large trunk and peered back to see a guard. The She-Quan master smirked.

"Easy target," she whispered and crept closer, still remaining hidden.

The guard was speaking into a communicator, listening to orders. He nodded occasionally and frequently fixed his sunglasses. He had a very noticeable rifle glued to his back, and this began to raise worry for the teenage girl.

While the man turned his back to the red-head and stepped forward, Veronica took this to her advantage. She leapt from her space and hugged the guard's neck with her strong arms. He gasped in surprise and chocked. Veronica laughed darkly, watching as he grew blue with effort. After he seemed to lose consciousness, Veronica released him and threw him to the ground.

His finger twitched, but other than that, there was no solid movements. Veronica sighed in relief and moved on, her eyes narrowed in concentration. She began to hear more noises, and figured that they were just people moving around. A voice echoed through the forest nearby, alerting Veronica.

She quickly crept into bushes and watched as two people passed. A tall, slender woman wearing green and a man in a white lab-coat. Veronica gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Chang. Resisting the urge to attack him on the whim was difficult work for the stubborn girl but she managed to remain in the bushes.

"So, we have another prisoner?" Chang asked casually to the auburn-haired woman. Veronica blinked and listened in.

"Yes, formally known as Ice Princess," the woman replied silkily.

_Ice Princess? _Veronica thought. _Wait... Heroes... Damn, the Underground Alliance! _The girl's pulse began to grow higher and her heart pounded. She was hoping that the two villains wouldn't hear it.

"And we already have Hack and Tempest, this seems to be going well," Chang smiled unpleasantly.

"Of course," the green-eyed woman smirked.

"And Delilah, I never thought we could get this to work so smoothly," the grey-haired scientist laughed. The red-haired woman, now known as Delilah nodded in agreement.

"I'm surprised that it's lasted this long without anyone discovering us... Properly," she smirked nastily at that statement. It sent shivers to run up Veronica's spine.

"Yes, and I'm beginning to see some familiar faces," Chang laughed half-heartedly. They approached a more tree-covered area, and Veronica's eyes widened. They would notice the unconscious body. They would then find her.

Veronica staggered back, making a twig snap. The woman's head turned around immediately, seeking out the intruder. The girl held her breath to wait for suspicion to falter. The mysterious woman began to walk away. Veronica sighed in silent relief. She quietly stepped back again, watching where she was going.

Once she was certain that she was free from capture, the girl turned and ran. She hopped over rocks and large roots. A guard turned and noticed her. "Damnit!" she cursed under her breath and jump-kicked her, just in time before her gun was fired. She fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Veronica grinned at her success but heard quick and evident footsteps so began to run again. She heard voices and knew that her presence was notified. Sirens blared from the building and she scowled. "Ah am _so _nawt getting caught," she promised herself. She gasped as she saw her escape cut off by guards. "Dang."

"Not so fast!" One of them raised their guns. "If you proceed to run, you'll be shot."

Veronica stopped, uncertain of what to do. She raised her arms. The guards nodded to each other and the three approached her. One began to handcuff her but Veronica grabbed their arm, making them drop their gun. She launched her leg, and it hit another in the chin.

The other guard went to punch Veronica in the face, but she ducked and kicked their shin, making them collapse to the ground. Veronica grunted and slid between a guard's legs and ran for it. The guard recovered from his dazed expression and fired a bullet at Veronica. She noticed it and with her mind, exploded it in time.

The guard's eyes widened. Veronica kept running and paced up towards where she heard water. _A river? _Veronica brushed past branches and leaves and noticed a long stream. "Hm..."

The girl crept silently to the edge of it and looked around urgently. Luckily there was no one there. She smiled softly to herself and sat down for a moment, regaining her breath.

If Veronica had been focusing, she would have sensed the woman that stood behind her. She blinked, beginning to realise her mistake and turned her head to see a dangerous smirk.

"Oh...Snap," she thought out-loud as she was hit harshly on her head.

* * *

Alice winced as she felt herself waken. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a dull, grey, steel cell.

"Where am I?" she asked, feeling groggy. The floor was chilling; a stone type and the walls matched. She felt a strange numbness in her hands and waited for a moment before she received her sense of feeling again.

She grasped the steel bars and gave them an odd look. _I wonder if I can freeze them to a point and break out_, she thought. Grimacing, she tried to place her energy on to the bars but she couldn't conjure any ice. "Huh?"

"Your power is being neutralised," came a voice. Alice looked across the cell to see a familiar red-head.

"Tempest?" the girl remained silent. "Lane?" The girl sighed. "How long have you been here?"

Lane glanced at her, her lips were dry, scratches covered her face and a small bruise had gathered under her left eye. Alice gulped.

"How long have _I _been here?" she changed the question.

"Possibly a day," Lane shrugged, standing on her feet and dusting herself off.

"How long have _you _been here?" Alice frowned lightly.

Lane glanced at the stone wall, little lines grouped and falling down it. "Nine days," she replied blankly.

"But.." Alice blinked. "But you were with me yesterday."

Lane looked at her steadily, "Was I? I've never met you before."

Alice's clear blue eyes widened in alert. "Then who was...She...?" the question hung in the air as Lane licked her lips and approached the steel bars. She held on to them, and stared out. Alice felt her heart weaken. This girl was almost completely broken. She clenched her fists. That would not happen!

"Who else is here?" she demanded, anger radiating from her snow-white face.

"Hack," Lane leaned on the bars casually. "Natasha, you know."

"Another member of my team," Alice sighed. "Did you know you were being copied?"

Lane shrugged, her shoulders lifting and her hair moving. "I guessed."

"And you didn't do anything?"

"What could I do?" Lane stared evenly with Alice with her sharp green eyes. They seemed to glow with the small light that hung above them. The wind that came from the small port-hole window by the wall shot her hair in the air and it raced around her. Alice grew afraid of the girl in front of her.

Lane sighed, "My power has been strained long enough and it's driving me to insanity," she laughed half-heartedly.

"I...Figured..." Alice chuckled nervously but was met with a raised eyebrow. She looked out at the window. "What does this neutraliser do-?"

She was cut off when sirens blared through the building. "What the-?"

"An intruder," Lane gasped, life showing in her glass-like eyes.

"Is that good news or not?" Alice asked.

"Depends," the red-head replied uneasily. "If it's someone on our side then there's a chance they can get killed, and us also."

Alice looked blank.

Lane shook her head and peered out of the bars, staring past the others and past the door to see shadows passing. "What is it?"

"Guards are running," Lane explained.

The blonde approached Lane and looked out also. "Oh, I'm guessing it's someone on our side that's come here."

"We don't know for sure," Lane scowled.

"What's going on?"

Lane and Alice jumped and turned to see the tall, slender brunette known as either Hack or Natasha. Her blue eyes were narrowed and there was dried blood on her chin.

"Hack?" Alice blinked.

"That's right," Natasha stared coldly at her, her lips pursed angrily.

"I-I thought you went home," Alice scratched her chin nervously.

"Really now?" Natasha asked darkly.

"Yes," Alice sighed.

"Now you realise that we have a spy in our team?" Natasha crossed her arms.

"_Now _I do," Alice added.

"What's that?" Lane questioned, pointing out the window.

"Wha-?"

"It's like a golden light," the red-head ran to the window. "Someone pick me up!" she declared.

Alice hesitated before peeling her gaze from the brunette and went over to Lane. She grabbed her leg and grunted as she pulled her up. Her arms shook with the extra weight. Lane climbed up, holding on to the ledge. She looked out, her eyes wide.

"H-How long are y-you going t-to be up th-there?" Alice asked, struggling to keep her up.

"Just another minute!" Lane yelled down, urging herself up.

"What can you see?" Natasha moved from her original spot and stood next to the girls.

"Golden lights jumping all over the forest and they seem to be exploding," Lane's voice hitched in her throat.

"T-That's Dange-Dangerous," Alice cried out as she felt her strength fail and she fell. Lane made a short scream as she fell on top of her. Her foot connected with the blonde's shoulder, and she tripped, diving towards the wall.

Natasha bit her lip, trying not to laugh. She muffled a laugh, that escaped, with her hand and looked away.

Annoyed, Lane stood up and dusted herself off, while Alice was dazed and almost drooling.

"_Let's _not do that again," Lane crossed her arms.

"Good to hear," Alice whined before uneasily getting to her feet. Natasha frowned.

"What?"

"The explosions have stopped," she declared.

Alice saw her thoughts cloud together in her mind, "If it's someone on our side; that means they've been captured."

"Or killed," Lane pointed out.

Natasha sighed drily, "There must be some way out!" she threw her arms in the air before walking over to the darker side of her cell. Lane and Alice struggled to see her.

"Well, if you find one, let us know," Lane yelled, shaking her head stubbornly.

"Um...?"

"What?" the red-head turned to Alice.

"Is it only us here?" she asked.

Lane thought for a moment, licking her dry lips. "In this room, yes."

"And other rooms?"

"I have heard other voices and cries," Lane nodded slowly. "But I can't be too certain."

"Why do you think we got captured?" Alice asked, sitting down. She put her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her clenched fists.

"Asking too many questions can get you killed," Lane replied firmly.

Alice snorted at her and looked over. She was in a very large room and she was in a separate cage, joined with two on her left side and two on her right; one containing Natasha. In front, she saw a door, but it was locked. She glanced to the side to see a small archway and she spotted shadows running backwards and forwards.

"I don't want to stay here," she thought out-loud.

"Neither of us do," Lane replied bluntly, folding her arms.

"Is there any way of escaping?"

Lane gave her a cold look, filled with sarcasm. "If there was, would we be here?"

"Fine, fine, I know," Alice scowled at her, hating when people went all smug.

"_I _didn't think so."

Alice began to calculate ideas in her head for a while, standing by the bars, staring into space. Lane gave up talking to her and lay on one of the beds, arms behind her head. Natasha was playing with her hair in her cell, sighing deeply.

"_**There must be a way out!**_" Alice yelled, angrily.

Lane jumped, "Jeez, do you want to alert the guards!"

"Sorry," Alice laughed nervously, but blinked. "Guards? Do we have one that monitors us?"

"They've only just got one now," Lane replied.

"Yeah, a girl," Natasha walked up to them, but sat at the bars were they were split.

"Do you think we can fool her to letting us out?" Alice suggested.

"I doubt it," Lane shook her head.

"She's pretty sharp," Natasha added, narrowing her blue eyes.

Before anyone could add anything else, the door whirled open. A muscular guard came in, observing the trio before nodding out of the door. Two more guards came in, holding an unconscious figure by the arms.

"Who's that?" Alice whispered to Lane.

"I-I actually don't know," the red-haired girl replied quietly.

"Make sure to add the tank with water, it's the only way to keep her contained. The neutralisers don't work on her," came a familiar, feminine voice. Natasha got to her feet, looking for the woman.

"Yes, ma'am," one of the guards walked across the room and stopped by a large cuboid tank.

"Huh?" Lane shifted from her position to see more, as well as Alice.

"You prisoners!" Hypnosister sneered at them, "Don't think about it. Just keep to yourselves," she frowned and clip-clopped to the tank. The two guards that held the young girl moved forward. Alice spotted red hair.

"Da-yum," she whispered. "That could be Amberlee."

"Doubt it," Natasha frowned. "Amberlee doesn't need water to prevent her from using her powers. I only know one person who does..."

"Who?" Lane asked hurriedly.

"Remember the girl that bailed on the Underground Alliance?" Natasha asked, tilting her head. She glanced at the unconscious girl.

"That Boom Baby?" Alice remembered.

"Yeah," Natasha pursed her lips for a moment, "I heard a rumour that her powers aren't the most controllable and the only way to stop her is using water."

"Water?" Alice looked confused. "The only way?"

"It must be her then," Lane turned her head to the girl. The two guards that weren't holding her were pressing controls on the tank.

"That's right, put her in now," Hypnosister commanded shrilly.

The two guards that did hold her, carefully placed the girl in. Lane grimaced when she did see more of the newest prisoner. Raspberry red hair, peachy skin. She seemed to fit the description. She looked down, searching for gloves, which were now being removed.

"Be careful!" Hypnosister cried out. "You touch her skin and you'll die instantly," she seethed. "Just keep them on and pour water into the tank.

"Won't she die?" one of the guards asked meekly.

"You idiots, she _is _Chang's experiment, of course she won't die."

Alice stood by Lane, uncertain. "Experiment?" she whispered. Lane put a finger to her lips, alerting her to quieten down.

"How can you be certain?" a female guard asked.

"Just fill the tank!" the auburn-haired woman yelled, exasperated.

"Yes, ma'am." The tank became filled with clear water, darkening the girl's closed. The girl seemed to wake up, cracking her eyes open.

Lane's mouth opened in surprise. It was _her_. The amber-golden eyes proved it. The girl began to move in the tank, her eyes wide. She banged on it, but nothing happened.

"She'll drown," Alice gasped.

"No, look!" Natasha pointed.

Golden lines crept up the girl's skin, illuminating her. Her head fell forward and she appeared to have been knocked unconscious again. Her legs came up slightly, and she looked as if she was floating, her hair flowing around elegantly.

"Marvellous, Chang really does know what he's doing," Hypnosister watched in delight.

"This wasn't Chang's work," came another voice from the doorway. The trio's heads snapped around to see a young-looking boy with dark brown hair and mysterious grey eyes.

"Ahh, Joshua, so nice to see you again," Hypnosister smiled seductively. The boy shot her a look before staring at the unconscious girl in the tank.

"Never thought I'd see her again," he said gravely.

Alice held on to Lane's arm, a worried expression on her face. "Just be quiet," Lane warned. Natasha rolled her eyes before shifting and watching silently.

"What do you mean that this wasn't your uncle's work?" Hypnosister tilted her head at him, fluttering her eyelashes.

Lane almost gagged at this, the woman was obviously older and this was getting creepy.

"My uncle," Joshua touched the tank gently, "he trained her, but these powers weren't provided to her by us. Only through clumsiness."

"Do explain," Hypnosister appeared bored by this.

"She's incredibly talented in areas that we did train her for," Joshua explained impatiently, "But this," he directed to the glowing lines around her body, "was due to an accident."

"I'd _love _to hear about it," Hypnosister put her hands on her hips. "Just tell me what I need to know and begone."

Joshua grunted at her, "I've done research on her pow-" Hypnosister frowned. "...What I mean is, water is the only way to keep her contained."

"We know that already!" Hypnosister yelled, "Are you wasting my time?"

Natasha jumped by the sudden shrillness of the older woman's commanding voice. She folded her arms and looked at the doorway. It was an older man; possibly in his late twenties. He had dark hair, so dark that it could possibly make the night sky jealous. His eyes were a sharp blue colour but Natasha could see horror and sadness behind the steel barrier.

She frowned, watching as he came in, bowing his head formally to Hypnosister.

"Ahh, Blade, finally," she clasped her hands and walked up to him. She touched his shoulder comfortingly. "Was your mission a success?" she smiled deviously.

"Quite," he gruffed. His eyes darted to the three prisoners standing beside him and the unconscious girl in the tank. He grew confused by this. "What are you doing?" he frowned, before coughing quickly. He detected a surge of impatience from the woman that stood before him.

"Some check-ups," Hypnosister lied smoothly.

"Where's Libitina?" he asked boldly.

Hypnosister smirked, "She is on a separate mission; I thought you were aware of that." Blade grimaced at the small piece of smugness and taunt that radiated from the striking woman.

"Maybe," he crossed his arms, looking down at the three girls that were watching him in awe. He snorted and turned back to look at Hypnosister. "It's just been a while."

"You should know that Libitina isn't really a member of S.T.R.I.K.E," Hypnosister said casually. Lane turned her head at this, and listened in carefully. "She's only doing this for her prize."

"Money?"

"Blood," Hypnosister smirked. "She _is _a vampire after all."

Alice felt her blood run cool, and she glanced at Natasha, who paled.

"She said she wasn't," Blade narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Yes, but she is a traitor and a liar; she would say anything to protect herself," Hypnosister's shoulders rose and her fists clenched. Blade began to feel anger from the woman.

"A traitor?"

"That's not right," came a guard's voice. "She's risking her life to save our asses," she glowered.

"Bethany, just shut it," a male guard jabbed her with his elbow.

"Isn't she then?" Blade asked Hypnosister directly. She appeared confused for a moment; even stunned.

"Yes, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to befriend such a... such a..." she paused, searching for the right word before whispering silkily in his ear. Blade stiffened.

"You can hardly call her that," he frowned, pushing the woman back. Hypnosister realised she struck a nerve, watching how he breathed a lot more uncomfortable now.

Alice tugged on Lane's sleeve. "Should we say something?"

"I doubt it," Lane frowned at her.

"Don't protect her," Hypnosister smirked. "She's nothing." **(A/N, Pfft, she's a freaking alien Goddess...Ahh, oops, sorry.)**

"She brought me here," he replied strictly.

"And left, isn't that nice of her?" Hypnosister shrugged elegantly, a sarcastic smile on her face. "You're quite lonely, Blade, aren't you?" she laughed darkly, her auburn hair falling over one of her startling green eyes. "You thought her as a friend, but now she's left."

Blade clenched his fists, before touching one of his swords delicately.

"Don't deny it," Hypnosister's smile left her heart-shaped face. "Maybe you can seek some compassion from the likes of me," she winked and turned, walking back to the tube that contained the red-head.

Alice looked shocked, Natasha looked confused and Lane looked disgusted. "What the _hell _was that?" she whispered frantically.

Blade narrowed his eyes angrily, his body shaking with rage. He sighed, giving up and touched his forehead, feeling a massive headache whelming up. He left urgently.

Hypnosister's eyes watched him left, and she smirked dangerously. She began to listen to Joshua's sharp voice as he explained the rules of the tank.

"We really need to get out of here," Lane turned to the other girls.

"Yeah, but how?" Natasha gave her a disapproving look.

"Let's just think," Lane grimaced.

Alice twirled a lock of her blonde hair around her finger, "We just need to find out where we are and alert the other members of Underground Alliance," she said.

"Yeah, but how are we gonna do that?" Natasha scowled.

Lane was about to add something when she noticed the crowd of people leave the room. She looked at the girl in the tube and smiled. "How 'bout we try to wake her up first?" she suggested.

* * *

**Finally! This took its time -.-; I think I did half of it ages ago and just started writing the rest today.**

**Not much to say about this chapter; the characters belong to their rightful owners.**

**Will the trio + the unconscious Veronica escape? Who knows...? I do! 8D So you just have to wait and see ;)**


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: Obvious Clues and Listening In

Patrick's eyes narrowed as he studied the relaxed red-head. She didn't seem worried at all of the fact that either of them could be captured next. He watched her type casually on the infamous laptop, her eyes gleaming with energy. Something wasn't right here.

Hesitating, Patrick stood up and strolled towards her. He looked over her shoulder. Lane was looking at maps of Hawaii, the e-mails that they received from the other teams and was typing up on a word processor.

"What are you doing?" he asked, interested.

"I'm looking over what we've already found," Lane replied breezily, eyes staying firmly on the screen. Carefully, Patrick stepped back and looked in her bag.

"Any luck?" he asked, placing his hand in the black bag. He took out a small dark book, clearly a diary. He hid it behind his back, still observing the typing girl.

"Not so much," she sighed. Lane turned her head to face him, but couldn't see what was behind his back. "Are you okay? You seem..." She blinked. "Almost worried."

"Of course I'm worried," he frowned at her. "Two members of our team have been kidnapped, and now either of us could be next!" he burst out.

"Relax," Lane sighed again and turned back to the laptop.

"Relax?" Patrick mouthed, disapprovingly.

"I have a feeling that this was just a warning," she scowled, typing up some more. Patrick recognized some words, such as; S.T.R.I.K.E – Facility? Missing Members of Hawaiian Team – Hidden Message, Warning?

"It makes me think that the base is here," he added.

"But what if it's not?" Lane asked delicately. Patrick blinked, swearing that he saw red in the girl's emerald green eyes.

Patrick began to walk back to his bed, slyly placing the diary under his pillow before jumping on it and taking a deep breath. "What do you mean, exactly?"

"What if; by thinking that the base is here, we'll be falling into a trap?" Lane suggested, shrugging.

"We don't really have any other options but to check all three countries. Besides," he put one of his elbows on his knees and rested his head against his clenched fist. "Don't you think that it's kind of suspicious on how we've only got two members; me and you. With less members, we have less of a chance finding the base here."

"But would they try to make it so obvious?" Lane turned again, eyeing him carefully.

"Maybe they didn't mean to," Patrick shrugged, blinking slowly.

"I still doubt that this facility is here, in Hawaii," Lane frowned. "And I'm guessing that one of us; one of the Underground Alliance knows more than they're saying."

"What?" Patrick looked surprised, "What makes you say that?"

"Remember Amberlee?" Lane saved the document under the folder: Underground Alliance.

"The red panda girl on Team Two, in Paris?" Patrick asked, raising his head.

"Yeah, Team Two said that she knew about S.T.R.I.K.E, but also said that those who know about it, should be dead," she cursed, tapping the backspace key to delete some text. "Doesn't that sound a little suspicious? And maybe a little too convenient?"

"You really think this through, don't you?" Patrick seemed really shocked, one; because he didn't realise that before and two; Lane really wasn't just relaxing and not bothered about the situation. She was doing more than him!

"Yes, I have too. I'm tying up the loose ends," she said. Patrick paused, that could mean anything! "Whatever," she got to her feet, stretching. "I think I'm going to go to the café for a bit. I need something to drink. You coming?" she asked.

"No thanks, I'll just see if I can figure out some more stuff," Patrick smiled softly. Lane raised an eyebrow before grabbing a pair of sunglasses, her black bag (making Patrick freeze) and putting on her shoes.

"Okay, I should be back in an hour," Lane nodded to him, switching off the laptop, hesitating, then left.

Patrick sighed in relief. Lifting his pillow, he took out the little diary. "Right, let's see..." He opened the first page, and blinked. It was in an entire different language! "What the-?" Turning to the next few pages; the writing stayed the same. "This ain't right," he muttered. Seeing a small crease on a forward page, he flipped over and saw English. "Finally."

_Day three: Nothing unusual happened to be honest. No success on the research, and no failure either. I wonder if this is actually just a waste of time. Hawaii, however, isn't. I love the relaxing service Honolulu provides, and I just love to sit back and relax. _

Patrick frowned, it _almost _seemed like a normal teenage girl's diary. Except for the whole boy-issue thing that he once became victim of. Glancing down, the rest of the text was just casual and not suspicious. "This can't be right," he murmured. Turning over the page, he found the exact same results. "Wait..." he paused.

Turning the book on its side, he read down each letter on the left hand side. "L I B I T I N A S A Y S H I. What the hell?" He glowered, "Pfft, I thought it would be some clue or something," he said to himself before closing the diary. "It worked in Death Note," he sighed.

He then realised that he needed to place the diary somewhere that Lane would have probably placed it. Shifting off his bed, he grasped the book and hid it under Lane's pillow. Hopefully that wouldn't arouse suspicion on him.

The laptop seemed to sparkle from the sunlight that got in. Patrick grinned suddenly and jumped on Lane's bed, switching the laptop on. "Maybe I should do some more research myself."

* * *

"_Gina? Gina? Are you okay?" _

Gina turned in her sleep. She was panicking, her heart racing louder and faster.

"_Gina! Wake up!" _

She could hear him. Was it Dave? It must have been. She focused on the darkness, and tried to shift it to see what it was telling her.

"What do you want?" she asked carefully.

"_WAKE UP!"_

"I want nothing," a voice appeared somewhere.

"That's a lie, we all want something," Gina frowned, shifting her eyes cautiously.

"_Get some water, Jesse. Wake her up."_

"_Is she okay?" _

"Perhaps, but what I want, I cannot receive," the voice echoed in the abyss. Gina raised her hand, placing it above her eyes. She narrowed them, searching around frantically. All she could see; was darkness.

"Where am I?" she changed the question.

"_It's not working!" _

"Why am I wet?" Gina then blinked, feeling the strange rush of cold water.

"Because you've been swimming."

"_What can I do?" _

"_Annalee, get some ice or something." _

"I've been swimming?" Gina frowned, confused. She waved her hand around in the darkness, hoping that it was just like mist. It wavered slightly, moving sideways. "Yes," she smiled. It acted like smoke, twisting from one way to the other.

"_Found a plant; it smells bad." _

"_Perfect."_

Gina was then tortured to a surge of an earth-like smell. It smelled of trees and moss. "What _is _that?" she gasped.

"Where do you think you are?" the voice asked, darkly.

"I don't know," she shook her head, watching as the mist moved but didn't reveal her destination.

"_It's still not working."_

"_What _exactly _is wrong with her?"_

"_I think she's having a vision."_

"You are where you seek," the grave voice said before it seemed to disappear.

"Wha-? What does that mean?" she exclaimed. Suddenly, the misty darkness shot behind her, a large rush of wind chilling her skin.

"_Did you open the window?"_

"_Yes, it's kinda cold, it might help." _

She grunted, before looking past the remaining darkness and realised she was standing at the edge of an island. "What the-?" Behind her was water, that seemed to last forever and in front were millions of trees. "Okay, this makes no sense."

"_Aren't visions sometimes a good thing?" _

"_Yeah, but she's in shock." _

Gina felt herself move forward and realised she wasn't standing, but floating. "Okay... Weird..." She drifted past the trees, and to her surprise, she saw guards. They wore dark grey outfits; reminding her of mercenaries.

"_Why don't you just leave her? Waking her up could be almost a death sentence."_

"_Yeah, I agree. What if it's a good vision that could help?"_

"_But we don't know that, do we?" _

Hovering over the trees, Gina saw a large grey building, like a facility, or a factory. "What is that?" She noticed a helipad on top and a black helicopter was resting on it. "Where am I?" she said thoughtfully. She past more trees and looked down to see two limousines, a hummer and tanks. "Okay, I really want to get out now. This is just too weird."

Then something grasped her attention. A figure wearing black armour, but with a mask. "Slade?" The psychic felt herself float down to get a better look. It was him alright. He looked too familiar and he held himself proudly and like a soldier.

He appeared to be on the phone. "Yes, the Underground Alliance will be no more," he said darkly. Gina felt her blood run cold.

"They know about us," she gasped. Grunting, she shot into the building, almost screaming as she hit the wall but simply phased through it. "Where am I going now?" she asked herself, confused.

Passing through the walls, she seemed to be gliding through corridors. She noticed familiar villains, clenching her fists. "This must be S.T.R.I.K.E," she frowned. Going forward, she heard voices. Yet, they sounded familiar. "Huh?"

She peered through a doorway, and her eyes widened. "Oh my God!" She saw steel cells, and prisoners. No, team members! "This isn't right."

Looking to the side, she saw Veronica in a tank. "Oh no, that's what happened to her." Shaking her head, and narrowing her eyes, she said, "I have to warn the others."

Just then, a female entered. She wore mostly black, and her eyes were a piercing yellow colour. She had furry ears and a tail. "Who the-?"

"Hey, Blackcat," one of the prisoners beckoned her over. Gina recognized her as Lane, Tempest.

The girl walked over to the cell and kneeled down. "Yeah?" she asked.

"How long are we staying here?" Lane whispered to her.

"I don't know yet," she frowned, her nose twitching. "Only half of the Underground Alliance remain, and they still have to find us."

"Can't we send them a message or something?" a blonde piped up. Gina examined her, remembering her as Alice, the Ice Princess.

"Too risky," the feline female replied hurriedly. She turned her head, hearing voices and cursed. "Here," she handed Lane a note. "Another guard is coming tonight, tell him this and he'll tell you the latest news."

"Is that any help?" a brunette asked, suspicious.

_That's Hack_, Gina thought. _She went missing from day one_.

"It should be, hopefully we'll get you out soon," Blackcat nodded, standing. She winked before walking out.

Gina felt herself fade. "No! I need to know more!" she gasped. "I don't even know where this place is."

Everything darkened, finally turning black. Gina turned, seeing nothing but raw shadows. "Oh c'mon," she grimaced. A bright white light appeared from the top. It formed, almost like a face. Gina blinked.

"Hey," Dave smiled, watching as Gina showed life.

"Oh God," she leaned forward, seeing two other faces; Jesse and Annalee.

"Are you okay?" Dave asked, sitting down next to her, putting a hand on her face comfortingly. Gina closed her eyes, holding on to the hand.

"I _think _I had a vision," she said softly.

"You think?" Jesse frowned.

"It was quite weird," she laughed half-heartedly.

"Do you want to tell us about it?" Annalee asked, worriedly.

"Or do you want to just rest for a bit?" Dave questioned.

"I-I think I need to rest for a while," Gina closed her sharp blue eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Annalee looked at Jesse, with an eyebrow raised, "That was weird."

Jesse nodded in agreement. He stood straight and walked to his girlfriend, "Dave, you want to stay with her while we go shopping?" he questioned.

"You're going shopping?" Dave looked shocked.

Jesse shrugged and Annalee grinned. "We'll bring you back something," she bounced before running off.

"There's a sale at this shop that are selling novelty t-shirts, as well as tie-dye, the usual," the black-haired ice controller explained, before jogging after the brunette. Dave chuckled to himself then glanced at Gina. A smile broke out on his face as he dipped towards her and kissed her forehead gently.

"Rest," he whispered before standing from the bed. He sat by the desk and opened up a sleek, black laptop. "Hope you don't mind me using it," he murmured, switching it on.

He blinked, noticing he had three e-mails. He checked them out, and replied quickly. Sighing, he closed the modern piece of technology and turned around. He began to stare at Gina. She looked so peaceful, so tranquil, so enchanting. Shaking his head, Dave stood up and stretched.

"What to do, what to do," he said in a sing-song voice. He realised that he had to stay with Gina, in case she woke up and found no one by her side. He glanced at the laptop again and sighed. "Guess I better just do some more research," he said gloomily. Opening it up again, he sat down and searched online for maps of England.

He then received an e-mail. "Hm?"

Clicking on it, yawning, was a _big _mistake. The laptop suddenly burst into flames. "Woah!" Dave fell back, staring at it. The fire grew bigger, falling on to the table. "Gahh!" Dave got to his feet clumsily and raced to Gina. "Come on, wake up!" he pushed her gently but she seemed to be sleeping soundly. "**GINA!**" he yelled. She still wouldn't wake up.

The fire fell on to the floor, and was singing it black. Smoke rose into the air and clouded the room. Dave coughed. "We don't have much time," he realised. Using the quilt, he covered Gina's mouth and nose, as well as his own. He held her firmly back on his shoulder and moved towards the door. He kicked it, and it swung open.

Coughing urgently, he placed her down. Just then an alarm went off, "Finally," he muttered. Three men came up, demanding what had happened.

Dave was slow to respond, "Laptop burst into flames," he coughed, hoping that was a reasonable answer. Gina murmured something in her sleep, but still didn't wake. Dave looked down at her worriedly.

Firemen came to the rescue afterwards and cooled the room down, the fire extinguished and the smoke disappearing.

_What was that about? _He thought to himself.

* * *

A few hours had passed and the team in Paris were sitting around their hotel room, looking over things for the millionth time that day.

"I still don't get why we can't have a break to explore Paris; the city of lights," Amberlee frowned.

"I agree," Jen whined.

"Not until we solve this problem," Grace said icily, passing a printed out map of France to Leela.

"And then you'll send us home with nothing," Amberlee moaned.

"Guys," Leela shook her head, "This mission is more important."

"Yeah, but too much work and stress can make us miss a very obvious clue. If we relax for a bit; we can refresh and be more positive with the work," Jen added, nodding.

Leela looked shocked by her statement but then nodded also, "Fine, but only for an hour. We can't afford to waste time."

"Trust me, this is a good idea," Amberlee stood up, stretching.

"I hate to admit it," Grace said flatly, "But I kinda agree."

"Not you too," Leela wailed.

Amberlee folded her arms, glaring at her, "Leela; just think. We can spend some quality time in Paris, get to know the city better. Maybe we can get souvenirs to go back home with. All in all, relaxing will help us think better later."

"Ooh, ooh, we can go shopping, roller blading, go to a café!" Jen suggested bouncily.

"Hm, how 'bout Leela and I go for an hour, and you two go together," Grace asked, standing up and fixing her sharp ponytail.

"Great idea," Jen grinned, holding onto Amberlee's arm receiving a "WTF" face. "Where do ya wanna go?"

"I'd like to go to the Faubourg Saint-Honoré," Jen jumped to her feet, grabbing her bag.

"The place with the high fashion districts?" Amberlee blinked.

"Yeah?" Jen looked at her confused. "Can we go?"

"As long as she doesn't find out about Disneyland," Grace whispered to Leela, who muffled a laugh.

"I heard that," Jen appeared ecstatic, "And I _would _like to go, but not today!"

"I must say; I'm surprised," Grace replied, standing up. "How 'bout we go to Montmartre?" she shrugged, looking at Leela.

"Sure, I want to see what that's about," Leela replied, smiling. She stood up and put on an open red-checked shirt.

"That clashes well with the black t-shirt you have on underneath," Amberlee said thoughtfully, examining the brunette.

Leela blushed, taken back, "E-Excuse me?"

"What do you know about fashion?" Grace snorted.

"H-Hey!" Leela yelled.

"_I _used to be a fashion model, thank you very much," Amberlee said angrily, putting her hands on her hips.

"Pfft, until they kicked ya out," Grace smirked, getting her black studded wallet and phone.

"Nah, I quit actually," Amberlee matched the white-blonde's coldness. "If you find a poster of me somewhere, please don't become jealous to my exquisite beauty."

"With 10 tonnes of make-up or not?" Grace raised an eyebrow.

Leela stood by Jen, "This isn't going to end well," she whispered to her friend and teammate.

"I know," Jen pouted.

"Without, but sometimes with," Amberlee shrugged. "Now, let's go Jennifer," she said. Jen's body shook for a moment. She knew Amberlee only called her by her full name if she was annoyed. Jen pulled a "HELP" face at Leela before following the red-panda out of the room.

Grace shook her head annoyed, "Do you hate her or something?" Leela asked her, sitting by the bed.

"I find her annoying," Grace said simply.

"She's only being like that because you're being like that," Leela said, before confusing herself.

"Ever heard the saying; think before you speak?" Grace asked coldly.

"Yeah, it never occurred to me that it was _that _useful," Leela rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

Grace rolled her eyes, bending down to put her boots on. "Why don't we just go out for an hour?" she sighed, standing back up, hands on hips.

"Yeah," Leela nodded. "A little relaxation can do the world of good."

"Besides, the other teams have done nothing but relax," Grace frowned.

Leela nodded again, "They don't seem to realise just how important this mission is! I mean; team one has lost two of its members, there has been big spending on team three's part and don't get me started on how successful we actually are on this case!"

Grace looked thoughtful for a moment, "Maybe they are doing their fair share for this mission, but they know how to spread it out so they experience the actual pleasures of the area they're in," she suggested.

"You mean, that they're doing it equally," Leela blinked, sorting her hair.

"Yeah, like that phrase: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

"Who's Jack?"

"Never mind," Grace arched an eyebrow, "What I'm saying is that we should spend some quality hours relaxing and cruising around the city as well as working hard, it's only fair. I don't mind working so hard and not seeing the city, but Paris offers a lot of culture and class, it's a wonderful place, so we should look around," she replied, "We can easily think while we're out and maybe get some inspiration. Always take a notepad and pen with you."

"Good argument," Leela twitched her nose, "I guess it's only fair."

"Yeah, you're becoming really stressed, girl, and it's not fair on any of us," Grace added.

"I guess you're right," Leela sighed then smiled. "Let's go then to what; that art gallery thingy?"

"Yeah, whatever," Grace went out first, followed by a beaming brunette.

* * *

Alice, Lane and Natasha were sitting in their cells, talking quietly. The unconscious red-head, known as Veronica was still floating in the tank. Lane looked over her shoulder at the girl before turning back and continuing the conversation.

"We still need a plan," she said, frowning.

Natasha shook her head, "That's what we've been trying to do."

"We still need to wake that girl up," Alice added, "She might be able to help."

"Well, if water weakens her powers, then that means she'll recover if we get her out," Lane nodded.

"How exactly do you propose we get her out?" Natasha looked at her disapprovingly, "We're stuck _here _with no powers."

"You do realise that you still have your powers," came an unexpected voice. The three girls jumped and then spotted a brunette with strange cat ears, a tail, piercing yellow eyes and whiskers.

"H-Hey!" Alice blinked. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," the girl narrowed her eyes.

"You're not going to blab, are you?" Natasha stood up, hands on hips.

"No, I'm going to help you."

"Say what?" Lane looked confused, standing up also and walking until she was just in front of her. "I doubt that very much."

"No, I will," one of Blackcat's ears twitched.

Alice finally stood up and looked mad, "But you're a villain! Not a hero, we can't possibly trust you!"

"Keep it down," the cat-like girl frowned, waving her hands a bit. "It may look empty, but there are cameras and guards everywhere."

"So?" Natasha's nose wrinkled, "You're _our _guard."

"And you get security and good money, why help us leave?" Lane added, glowering.

Blackcat remained silent for a moment.

"Wait, that's why you want to leave?" Alice blinked. "It's too safe?"

"No," Blackcat chuckled. "It's not safe here, and it's not fair either. The villains here are twisted, that Hypnosister woman is a nightmare."

"You feel out of place here?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah, I miss my home," Blackcat shrugged helplessly.

"Why don't you just quit then?" Alice frowned, suspicious.

"That's the thing; I can't," Blackcat shook her head exasperated, "I'm signed up for life, the only way I get out is to be killed or S.T.R.I.K.E is stopped."

Alice beamed, "So you're on our side?"

"I'm not on _your _side," Blackcat raised an eyebrow. "But I'm not on _their _side either."

"What's so bad about this place that makes you want to leave?" Lane asked, quite curious. She leaned against the steel bars, and watched intently with her sharp, green eyes.

"Let's just say; here you're either a twisted criminal, a spy," she put her foot on the bars, folding her arms, "or a prisoner."

"Which one are you then?" Alice blinked, quite confused.

"I'd love to say none of 'em," Blackcat wrinkled her nose, "But I guess in some way; I'm a prisoner."

"I still don't get it," Lane glared at her. "It was _your _choice to come here!"

"In a way; it wasn't," Blackcat frowned, staring at the bars, "I got an invitation, and you **can't **say no to it."

Natasha quickly got to the point, a frustrated look on her face, "So, how do you think you're going to free us?"

"I can't free you right this second," Blackcat frowned, "I can only promise to get you out by the next week."

"We're going to be stuck here for another week!" Alice cried out. "Why the hell can't you get us out now?"

"Because Underground Alliance still need to track us down," Blackcat snapped at her.

"Oh, I see," Lane said thoughtfully, putting a finger on her chin in concentration, "By releasing us now, that would cause ultimate suspicion, and all of our lives would be endangered, whereas if we escaped at the same time as the U.A's plan, or attack, whatever, it wouldn't cause as much suspicion."

Blackcat nodded, looking at her, "Exactly. S.T.R.I.K.E's attention is only partly on the Underground Alliance, but by next week it would become the number one priority. It'll be less guarded here, and we'll be safe to go."

"But then," Lane glowered, adding, "It can't be you who set us free."

"No, I guard you for three hours per day, and by being released at exactly on my shift, I would be the prime suspect."

"So, are you saying that we have to get ourselves free?" Natasha asked, shrugging.

"Yes," Blackcat nodded. "But I'll help you achieve that."

"What about our powers?" Alice blinked, "You said we still have them, what's with that?"

"They've been neutralised, but not fully," The brunette explained, scowling.

Lane looked disapprovingly at her, "Not fully? What do you mean by that?"

"The way it goes here, if we were to neutralise your powers completely, you'd be dead," Blackcat snorted. Alice and Natasha paled.

Lane folded her arms, "How would neutralising our powers kill us?"

Blackcat looked confused for a moment, "I'm not sure; I've only been here for a week - maximum."

"How do we know that we can trust you?" Natasha narrowed her blue eyes.

"You can't," Blackcat shrugged, "And I can't trust you either, but we all want out."

"Because you can't possibly leave by yourself," Alice sighed.

Blackcat grinned, "We're using each other; how fun is that?" Alice sweat-dropped. Natasha rolled her eyes and Lane smirked. "I better go anyway," Blackcat looked over her shoulder as voices came around the corner, "My shift's ending."

"Cya," Lane laughed, "Just get us out soon."

Blackcat waved, walking out. She winked once, before leaving the room, and then leaving the corridor.

* * *

A fair-skinned, pink-haired girl scowled on the other side of the room. She had her back pressed to the wall, and had been listening in. She heard the conversation, and knew that Blackcat was no longer one of them.

Walking sneakily out of the room, Lava Girl smirked, "I better tell Hypnosister before tomorrow."

* * *

**Yay! Chapter Nine. I only did an extra page today and decided to finish it off. So yeah, hope you like it!**

**Heehee, all of the characters belong to the rightful owners, and I do not own them or Teen Titans.**

**So yup, Patrick is suspecting "Lane" to be a spy, but can't seem to find a...VERY OBVIOUS CLUE! "Lane's" relaxed, but you should be able to tell that she's quite tense; obviously worried about her mission. Gina's had a vision, that shows how Blackcat has allied with the girls, and Veronica seems to be stuck in the tube -.-; I'll work that out later. Unfortunately, she can't figure out where the base is now, and Slade seems to be more confident about the mission. Dave has now got the objective of finding out why the laptop went on fire, and the girls in Paris are having a bit of a relaxing hour; Amberlee's and Grace's fued still burning.**

**Hope you like~ Stay tuned for next chapter :)**


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten: Even Darkness Has Light

Claire watched her non-furry friend pace across the room, "Relax, why don't cha?" She sighed, resting her head on her paws.

"Relax?" Alex snapped, turning around instantly. "We haven't had a _single phone call_! A text! A letter! **Anything!**" She raked her hand through her delicate blonde hair, which was beginning to darken, and flickers of silver ran through it. Claire had noticed this, and it had began to worry the canine.

"V's strong, you know that," Claire murmured, taken back by the outburst. Her ears pinned back, as she lifted her head up from her paws again.

"But she's not invincible," Alex paused, rubbing her arm with her opposite hand. "You know her sister defeated her."

"Victoria's a menace," Claire grumbled, "She wasn't as hesitant as Veronica."

Alex whined as she deliberately stopped in front of the television, blocking Claire's view of a game show that she particularly enjoyed. "You don't think she got her, do you?"

"What? Victoria?"

"Yeah!"

"Doubtful," Claire stretched and jumped off the sofa, her left ear twitching. "V doesn't make the same mistake twice."

Alex glared at the dog, "What do you suggest then?" she asked coldly, her eyes seeming to glow with silver energy.

Claire paused, her ears shooting backwards and her tail rising. She stepped back, terrified. "A-Alex, please don't!"

The blonde sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm just... Worried..."

"I can see that," Claire said flatly.

Alex opened her eyes again and arched an eyebrow. "But what could have possibly happened to her?"

"You know she sometimes needs some time alone," Claire stuck her tongue out comically as she began to ponder.

"The last we saw her..." Alex shook her head, "Was when she asked for my help."

"She asked you for help?" Claire's eyes widened.

Alex nodded shamefully, "I told her _no_ and she left."

Claire grunted as she jumped back on the sofa, earning a strange look. "What did she ask for?"

"Revenge. Basically," Alex shrugged, folding her arms.

Claire rolled her eyes as she concluded the obvious, "And you don't do _revenge_."

"Exactly..."

Claire shook her head, "What did she say?" She looked puzzled, as well as thoughtful.

"Something about working with Teen Squadron," Alex bit her lip, moving out of the way of Claire's view of the television. She sat by the window, staring out.

"Teen Squadron? Where have I heard that name before?" Claire asked herself. "Aha!" She did her _doggy-grin _and her tail wagged. "I know where she could be!"

"Where?" Alex asked, uncertain.

"Either in London, Paris or Hawaii!"

"Huh?"

Claire looked excited, "For once, I did some research, and I dug up some dirt... Not literally... And I found out the Teen Squadron are part of the newly founded Underground Alliance!"

"Underground Alliance?"

"Yeah!" Claire bounced, "They were going behind the scenes, and trying to figure out what, or who, was in charge of all these random attacks and robberies."

"Oh, I see," Alex put her finger by her chin, thinking. "What about London, Paris and Hawaii then?"

"It turns out, they had a lead," Claire smirked, "One of the members, apparently, had a vision, or something like that, and it led them to three different places. They split into teams of about four or five and each went to a location."

Stunned, Alex asked, "How do you know this?"

"Veronica showed me how to pay attention to any loose ends," Claire nodded. "Unlike you, I did my work."

Alex looked rather annoyed at this, "Did this information get leaked on the internet or something?"

"No, I can't read, remember? I watched one of the unpopular media channels and they were handing out rumours about Underground Alliance! Hey, weren't you invited?"

The blonde girl looked guilty, "Yeah, but they didn't want a dog in their operation."

Claire gave her an odd look, "You could have told them, that _I _am part wolf as well! And I talk!"

"I know, I know," Alex sighed.

"But then, that means you knew about Underground Alliance!"

Alex laughed nervously, "I kinda forgot about them."

"Don't you find it suspicious that V disappeared at the same time as the U.A went to these locations?" Claire cocked her head, ignoring Alex's forgetfulness.

Alex hesitated, frowning, "I-I'm not sure. V doesn't like to pair up with people, we know that from experience. She also didn't want to be a hero either."

Claire grimaced, seeming to think again. She muted the television; clearly a distraction. "If we check out some websites, we could see if they have a list of names of the people working at the Underground Alliance."

Alex gave her a doubtful look, standing up, "It's never that easy!"

Claire snorted at her, "Maybe not for you." She sighed, "Well, if you won't do it, we might as well just go for our daily run!"

"You mean; dress up and beat up some bad guys?" Alex grinned mischievously.

Clare nodded, pouncing off the sofa again, "And we can look for some clues to V's whereabouts also!"

"Good idea."

* * *

Patrick frowned, standing by the public women's bathroom. He had been looking around for Lane, but lost her. "Damn," he muttered, just as a women left the bathroom and gave him a disapproving look.

Patrick blushed, "Maybe I should change my strategy," he suggested quietly to himself, realising that this wasn't the best idea.

Walking forward, he noticed a red-head sitting by the pool. "Bingo," he smirked, crouching behind a table, and leaning on the ground, watching her.

Lane sighed as she removed her glass of a fruity drink and sipped at it. She spun the umbrella in it, around and licked her lips. "I wish we had these back in America," she sighed again, stretching in the plastic chair.

"H-Hey, is this seat taken, dude... Uhh, miss?" came a voice.

Lane removed her dark sunglasses to get a better look at the speaker. She smiled politely and nodded, observing him. He was tall, with an obviously athletic body. He had sloppy medium-length blonde hair and his gentle eyes were blue. "Hm? Sure."

The boy grinned like mad, as he sat down next to her. He held out his hand, "I'm Bryce Kekoa."

Lane accepted the handshake and smiled, "Lane Wilson," she replied casually.

"Take it from the accent; you're not a citizen here in sunny Hawaii?" he retreated his hand and watched her steadily.

"Nope," Lane chuckled, "Just... A tourist."

"That's neat, dude... Umm... Dudette," he winked, correcting himself.

"I take it then; you live here?" Lane tilted her head, her red hair falling past one of her sparkling green eyes. Bryce's cheeks seemed to darken with redness by the soft look.

"Uhh... Yeah?" He looked confused for a moment. Lane chuckled once again, making Bryce grin awkwardly.

Patrick raised an eyebrow, watching as the boy, that reminded him of a surfer, sat down and smiled at Lane. He began to feel a cramp in his legs so stood back up. He blew a strand of his dark brown hair. "Maybe I should go say _hello_," he muttered, strolling over to Lane and the boy.

Lane laughed. _This boy is fairly amusing, I wonder why he feels the need to talk with me. I am quite busy but I guess ten minutes of my mortal time will not hurt too badly, _she thought, smiling.

"So then I told the wave to go somewhere and rode over it like it was a little hill, dude, it was awesome," Bryce grinned, "I came first place!"

"Congratulations," Lane's deadly smirk went unnoticed by the now-relaxed surfer dude. "Quite a triumph, if I say so myself."

"You're very charming for a young girl," Bryce said. His ocean-blue eyes widened as he heard what he said. "I-I mean-"

"Don't worry," Lane cut him off with her hand, "You're not so bad yourself," she smiled at him.

"Hey, Lane!"

The red-head turned her head to see her teammate, Patrick and she looked surprised. _Man, that look is priceless, _Patrick thought to himself as he got closer. He stood by the young man and Lane.

"Hey, dude!" Bryce grinned, waving casually.

"Hey," Patrick nodded to him. He turned to face a pale Lane, "Lane, I got an e-mail from... Team one," he said in a whisper, but his voice was loud enough for Bryce to hear.

Lane raised an eyebrow, "Um, Patrick? We _are _team one."

"Oh?" Patrick realised his mistake, "I meant team three; you know with Leela and Grace?"

Lane's eyebrow stayed up, "You mean _team two_?"

"Really?" Patrick burst out laughing, "Man, I'm getting old."

"Evidently," Lane said coldly. "And why did you interrupt me? I told you not to."

"Um?" Bryce raised his hand.

"I thought it was important!" Patrick glared at her, "Clearly not to you!"

Lane looked mad as she stood up slowly, "This mission is important to me!"

"Mission?"

"Then act like it is!" Patrick pointed at her accusingly, "You weren't even concerned when two of our members disappeared!"

"Members? Disappeared?"

"I was! I was terrified!" Lane snapped at him, "But to do this correctly, we need to remain calm to not fall into any of S.T.R.I.K.E's traps!"

"S.T.R.I.K.E?"

"You didn't even help when Alice disappeared! She could be dead!" Patrick looked miserable for a moment.

"Oh that's right," Lane paused, tilting her hand and placing a finger on her chin, "You _love _her, don't you?"

Patrick froze, his face red and his heart rate fast. Lane had the ghost of a smirk on her face as she realised she struck a nerve.

"I-I don't l-l-lov-love her," he stuttered.

"Of course you don't," Lane grinned at him before turning to Bryce, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, Bryce. It seems I have to leave now... Before this gets ugly, perhaps I'll see you around." She bent down and kissed his cheek lightly. She then left gracefully, to leave a distraught Patrick and a blushing Bryce.

Bryce shook his head quickly, almost as if his blush would wear off that way. He stood up and waved nervously to Patrick, "Um? See ya, dude." He walked the other way.

Patrick's eye twitched, his fists clenched as he stared angrily at Lane's left glass. "I know you're our enemy," he whispered darkly. "And I'm going to prove it."

* * *

Amberlee yawned, stretching lazily on her bed. She ignored the annoyed look from a certain team-mate and plugged in her earphones. Calmly, she began to listen to some music.

"Isn't she supposed to be working?" Grace asked coldly, sitting on the cream sofa, Leela on the floor with the laptop and Jen... Not in the room.

"You said it yourself; we need to relax," the brunette sighed.

"That was hours ago, now is the time to work," Grace glared at her.

"I'm tired as well," Leela whined. "I think we should call it a day."

Grace grumbled something inappropriate as she stood up, stretching. "Don't blame me if we all get killed because of lack of progress."

"That's unfair," Leela frowned worriedly, "You know we're all trying our best!"

"Maybe _our best _isn't good enough," Grace scowled at her, narrowing her eyes.

Leela shook her head, "I don't care if we're doing it right or wrong," she sighed deeply, "I just want to go to bed." Grace then noticed the dark bags around the brunette's eyes.

"I'm not stopping you," Grace said simply, opening the joining door and going to her own room. Leela looked over to see that Amberlee had already fallen asleep.

"Lucky panda," she snarled then laughed at herself. "Where's Jen?" she pondered, walking to the main door and opening it. Her eyes widened.

Jen was lying, sprawled out on the hall floor. Her chest wasn't moving and she made no noise. "Holy crap!" she declared, rushing to her. She put her fingers on Jen's neck and could only feel a faint pulse.

Terrified, Leela slammed Grace's door open. Grace looked alarmed. "What?"

"Get out here now!" Leela cried out.

"What's happened?" Grace blinked, rushing out in her bare feet. She gasped when she saw Jen.

"Stay with her!" Leela commanded, running into her own room and grabbed Amberlee's hand. Amberlee grunted, waking up as she was pulled from her bed.

"H-Hey! Where's the fire?" Amberlee groaned, her eyes opening.

"Come on! There's something wrong with Jen!" Amberlee's tiredness disappeared as she shot out the door and leaned by the unconscious girl.

"You didn't hear her fall or anything?" Amberlee asked, shocked.

"No," Leela shook her head, standing by them. "I just found her like this."

Grace frowned, "We better call for someone."

"Good idea," Leela blinked, "Grace, go downstairs by reception. See if they can call the police!"

"I don't know French!" Grace snapped.

"Fine, I'll go," Amberlee sighed. "I'll be back in a minute," Amberlee launched in the air and bolted down the corridors.

"She's going to blow our cover," Grace said flatly.

"No, she won't," Leela scowled at the blonde before slapping Jen's cheek. It made her cheek turn to a faint tinge of pink yet she stayed in an unconscious state. "Shall I call for an ambulance?"

"No, we're in France, remember? Just let the panda deal with the receptionist and get an ambulance herself."

Leela nodded, "Okay." She stared at Jen's peaceful face, "What happened?" she thought out-loud. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she heard the breath intake that came from Grace. "What?"

Grace reached into Jen's jacket pocket and took out a black card. On it was writing, red words that said: _Just a warning; give up before this becomes real. S.T.R.I.K.E._

"Shit," she cursed. "They're still after us."

"How could they have possibly done this to Jen?" Leela covered her mouth with her hand.

"I don't know," Grace said quietly.

"What's that writing? Red ink?" Leela looked startled, pointing to the red words.

"Blood," Grace said matter-of-factly. Leela paled.

"B-Blood? How?"

Grace touched Jen's arm delicately, where a dark scar was beginning to form, "Here. They took _her _blood."

"That's outrageous!" Leela looked mad, her eyes narrowed. Grace could almost feel the hotel shaking with Leela's magnificent power.

"Calm down," she hissed. "We'll solve it!"

"Ici! Ici!" came a familiar feminine voice. Amberlee.

"Oui, Madame!" came a hurried French accent.

Amberlee came around the corridor, her face white and her eyes almost glowing.

"Hurry up," Grace yelled at her. Amberlee didn't even reply to her as she raced to the girl down on the floor. The French staff hurried towards them.

Amberlee barked a French phrase to them, confusing Leela and Grace. "They've called an ambulance, she's going to be sent to the hospital," Amberlee said to the other girls. The brunette and the white-blonde nodded.

"We have to act fast," Leela said worriedly, her eyes stinging with unwanted tears.

"She could die," Grace murmured.

"No," Amberlee shook her head, "She still has time!" she added firmly.

Grace gave her a doubtful look as Jen was lifted up by others. "How can you be so sure?"

"I'm an empath," Amberlee frowned. "There's not any active emotions radiating from her but I do detect some life signs."

"_Some_?" Leela's skin became even more paler. "There's a chance she could die?"

"I doubt that," Amberlee added, irritated by the pessimistic views. "She's still too strong in this state to easily fade away."

"Can you tell if she'll survive this?" Grace asked, a frown playing on her lips.

Amberlee looked irritated, "She's going to live through this... Try listening to me for once!"

"I just don't trust you," Grace said, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. Leela also stood and watched as Jen disappeared from the hall.

"Do you think we should follow them to the hospital?" she asked innocently.

"We might as well," Grace shrugged, "We need to make sure no one hurts her that easily again."

"Someone hurt her?" Amberlee looked surprised.

"Nope, she just came in the hotel, riding a donkey and smashed herself against an invisible wall," Grace snorted sarcastically.

Amberlee glared at her.

"We found this in her pocket," Leela ignored the rivalry and handed the red-head panda a small card.

"Hm?" Amberlee turned it over and looked at it. "Blood?"

Leela nodded, "That's what we thought."

"Strange..." Amberlee sniffed it, making Grace gag. "This is... Different."

"Huh?" Leela gave her an odd look, "I'm assuming it's Jen's blood."

"Possibly, but it smells strained, as if it's not as fresh as it should have been," Amberlee frowned.

"Maybe it just goes rotten after a while," Grace shrugged, "I'm pretty sure that happens."

"Let's go," Leela urged them, running down the corridor. Amberlee sighed and shot ahead. Grace shook her head, following afterwards, before realising she forgot her shoes.

"Ahh... Hell..." she muttered, running back to collect them.

* * *

Claire, now known as Luna, watched intently as the shadows past on the dark walls. _I wonder what time it is_, she thought to herself as she yawned. Looking around, she failed to detect her partner. _Alex?_

_Hey, are you okay? _

_I'm fine_, Luna replied casually, prodding swiftly down they alleyways._ Any luck?_

_Nope, not even one lousy thief!_

Luna chuckled at this, _Is this a good night or a bad night then?_

_Depends on what you like._

_Fair enou_- Something then caught the hybrid's attention.

_Claire?_

Luna charged around the corner, snarling. She had smelt it. She had heard it. There was someone else here, and they weren't here for a peaceful walk. Luna leapt across a grey crumbling wall and stopped by a steel door.

The wolf-dog observed her surroundings. She was in front of a large building with walls that shot upwards for, what seemed like miles. She glanced at the windows, only one showed light. It was faint but clear. She then noticed a hole in the wall, bigger than herself. "Perfect," she whispered.

She crept through the hole, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness that surrounded her. Luna realised that she had come into a long corridor. "Hm?" Sneaking down the corridor, she turned her head occasionally, looking from left to right.

_I wonder where I am..._

A sudden **bang **grasped the young hybrid's attention. She jumped from shock. _What was that? _She asked herself, her breath whipped from her.

Bolting down the corridor, Luna began to hear voices and screams. She smelled blood. Fear shot down her spine like a chill. There was a smashing sound and a gasp.

Luna was growing more terrified as she got closer to the sounds, but something was drawing her to them.

_CLAIRE! _

_Not now... _

And that was the last Silver Wolf heard from Luna that night.

* * *

Lane and Alice were sitting around the cell, staring at the ceiling. Natasha raised an eyebrow at the pair.

"People would think that you guys had lost it," she declared.

"Uh, we probably have," Lane shrugged, raking her hand through her red hair that seemed to keep fading to a different colour altogether; possibly brown.

Alice nodded in agreement, resting her head against her arm as she laid down on the stony floor.

"We haven't see Blackcat for a while," Natasha pointed out.

"I know," Lane sighed.

"Think she cheated us?" Alice asked casually.

Lane shook her head, "She sounded like she was telling the truth when she said she would help us."

"People lie, some are really good liars," Natasha added slowly.

"She wasn't lying," Lane said firmly.

"We don't know that though," Natasha grunted as she pulled herself from her hard bed and stretched. "But why did she share some sensitive information with us?"

"Sensitive information?" Alice repeated, blinking her normally bright blue eyes.

"That we still have our powers..."

"True," Lane crossed her legs, placing her elbow on her knee and resting her chin in her palm.

"What do you think she means by that?" Alice asked, staring at the ceiling.

Lane then said flatly, "What she just said."

"I know," Alice gave her a cold look. "But do you think we still have our powers?"

"I think we do," Natasha replied glumly. "I can't explain it though."

"You mean, that you felt the energy when we were still strong, but it got weaker as time went on?" Lane asked.

"Mhmm," Natasha nodded.

"Same here," Alice added "It feels as if half of me has dispersed since I got captured."

"How _did _you get captured?" Lane asked simply.

Alice's nose twitched as she tried to remember, "I think I fell in the water and got trapped. Patrick and La-The spy were there, but they couldn't help me."

"The spy?" Lane raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, the person disguised as you," Alice explained quickly.

"Pfft, no one can act like me," Lane smirked. "I'm unique in every way."

"Then why is there a girl in _my _team that we were fooled by?" Natasha tilted her head, asking drily.

"Guys, don't fight. There's no point," Alice narrowed her eyes, watching Lane glare at them both. "I'm trying to think!"

Lane and Natasha became silent and looked blankly at Alice.

"Our remaining powers are weakening because none of us are actually eating the food provided to us," Alice concluded, her thumb at her bottom lip.

"What if it's drugged?" Natasha narrowed her eyes.

"Then none of us can taste it," Lane said, "Except maybe; her," she pointed to the tank with the unconscious girl floating inside.

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked her, her voice rising with confusion.

"If drugs don't work on her, like they do with us, maybe she can tell whether or not the food would affect us," Lane replied, "And if it's not, we eat it and gather our strength. They don't actually expect us to eat."

"Good point," Alice nodded, frowning slightly.

"'Cept, how do we get her out?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Um..." Alice and Lane gave her a blank look.

"Thought so," Natasha tucked her legs into her chest. "Suppose we manage to open the tank; how do we wake her and get her to eat it? What if it's really poisoned and, ya know, she dies?"

"Let's try and be optimistic," Alice pouted. "We'll find a way to open the tank, get her out, wake her up, get her to eat it, see if it's drugged or not. If it isn't, we'll get our energy back and **BOOM**; the villains won't know what hit them!"

"Somehow I doubt it's that easy," Natasha muttered.

"Yeah," Lane nodded, "Any ideas on how to get the tank open first?"

"We could-" Alice stopped short when she heard voices and a whining sound. "Hey, what's that?" She stood up and went to the corner, leaning over.

"Huh?" Lane raised an eyebrow before standing up also. Natasha shrugged and stood by the very edge of her cell.

A growling noise erupted from outside.

"Put a muzzle on her or something," a demanding female voice yelled.

The growler barked. Alice jumped in fright.

Hypnosister sighed as she entered the room, followed by two guards; holding a silvery-grey wolf-dog hybrid.

"The hell?" Natasha muttered, looking over anxiously.

"Ooh, look, a dog," Alice grinned. Lane raised an eyebrow at her.

"It looks more like a wolf to me," she added.

"Whatever you want," Natasha shook her head.

The three girls watched intently as the guards pulled the silver wolf-dog inside. The canine kept growling as one guard grabbed her and lifted her. Strain showed on the male guard's face; surprised at the weight of her.

"Lerr go roff re!" The dog growled, biting the guard's hand, sending her to the floor. She tried to run for it, but Hypnosister's eyes glowed a bright green and the canine looked as if she were in a trance.

"You will **not **leave," Hypnosister ordered clearly, her voice strangely amplified. The three girls huddled in the cramp cells, watched intrigued as the dog stayed perfectly still. Hypnosister's nose wrinkled as the canine drooled. "Ugh... Take the collar off and place her in that cell!" she pointed to an empty cell, matching the girls'.

One of the guard arched an eyebrow in confusion as he tried to hold the dog. "What does the collar do?"

"It makes her speak," Hypnosister sighed, glaring immensely at the poor creature.

"No!" The wolf-dog managed to break out of the silent trance, and she tried her best to avoid the guards' hands. She ducked as they swiped at her, and jumped on one of the men. He fell on to his back from her weight. He grunted.

"No one can stop LUNA!" the wolf-dog beamed before growling at the other guard. Hypnosister exhaled a deep sigh, walking over to the cell and opening it. Luna bit hard on the other guard's knee and ran further into the room.

She stopped instantly when she noticed the tank. "...V?"

Hypnosister smirked at this, "Oh, I forgot. You two know each other, don't you?"

"Lerr her go!" Luna's ears pinned back as she growled harder, her eyes sharpening with fury.

"Nope."

"That's irt! I'm rontracting my rartrner!"

"You mean Silver Wolf?" Hypnosister asked innocently, tapping the door to the cell forcefully. "I'm afraid you can't, mutt-"

"Nurt a murt!"

"-Whatever, fleabag," Luna looked utterly offended by this, turning her head and grooming herself instantly, checking for fleas. "I'm sorry to say this, but your psychic communication with Silver Wolf has been disabled."

Luna's eyes widened as she turned her head to face Hypnosister, "That's not possible," her voice sounded much clearer since she stopped growling.

"What's going on?" Alice whispered intently to Lane, who shook her head.

"I don't know."

Luna then noticed the strange glow that radiated from Hypnosister's eyes. "If you don't believe me, mutt, check it for yourself."

Luna growled at her again but closed her eyes. _Alex! I've been imprisoned! _Nothing... "What?" How was that _even _possible? "Hurr did yor do thart?" Her teeth connected again as a snarl escaped her throat.

"Let's just say; I'd rather that you wouldn't be able to contact anyone outside of here," Hypnosister smiled casually, tapping her finger against the cell door.

"Where exactly is here?" Luna sat cautiously, one of her ears raising in confusion.

"If you must know, this island is an extinct volcano, not on any map and nobody in the nearest country knows about it. Since the place is basically impossible to exist," Hypnosister replied breezily, flicking a few strands of auburn hair back.

Luna, as well as the three imprisoned girls, looked at her in shock.

"Oh, I might as well tell you girls as well," Hypnosister smiled. She stood straight and her smirk looked deadly. "We're near enough around France. Slightly east of the English Channel and definitely not located anywhere."

"If we're located by the English Channel and the north of France, how can nobody know about the island?" Alice countered bravely.

"It's hidden well," Hypnosister shrugged. "Four years ago, this island surfaced from under the sea, results of an unrecorded eruption. Slade Wilson and Neil Richards discovered this island and began construction on the place."

"Wait, I take it that Slade is, well, Slade, but who's Neil Richards?" Natasha interrupted, thoroughly confused.

Hypnosister sighed, frustrated. "You know him as Mad Mod."

"Oh..." Natasha remained quiet after that.

"Yes, both men decided that us villainous heroes needed somewhere to connect and be safe. Basically this building is proof of an alliance," Hypnosister nodded, folding her arms. "It took two years to build, and earn enough money to continue construction. It was finished and all that remained was the renters. Soon, posts and messages flew across the world declaring the opening of S.T.R.I.K.E. Thieves, murderers, master-villains were all united.

Our operation is for those who require both protection and aid. We stand strong and invisible, and we're connected to the most dangerous attacks that were recorded. The Brotherhood of Evil are all part of this, but they're not as connected as favoured. They lost because they didn't ask for help."

The three girls and the canine had no choice but to listen as the story unravelled itself. Shock passed each of their faces as they listened to the explanation of what brought only danger.

"They managed to get so many people on their side via S.T.R.I.K.E, but they were foolish. They didn't get our permission, so they were only left with a small percentage. Now they have been defeated, and their whereabouts are unknown to the public." Hypnosister shook her head, her auburn curls moving rapidly. Her striking emerald eyes were then focused on Veronica. "We were so focused on the Underground Alliance for a bit, causing us to forget about hiding. She must have seen through the cracks and that led her here."

"Does this mean Boom Baby's the only one to get here, who is not a villain?" Lane whispered.

Hypnosister replied with a nod. "And the only one that we're not going to kill."

Alice grabbed Lane's elbow, a flash of worry on her face. Natasha held the bar, her knuckles growing white.

Luna saw her chance. The door was open, Hypnosister was not too close to her. She bolted for the door, but the auburn-haired villain saw this quickly. Her eyes glowed immensely and the door blocked the canine instantly. Luna grunted as she hit her head on the metal frame. Alice gasped, as Lane bit her lip and Natasha shook her head.

Whimpering, Luna collapsed. Hypnosister shook her head in annoyance and pulled the canine up. She then dragged the wolf hybrid to the cell. Luna was now unconscious and locked in a cell.

"No one escapes on my watch," Hypnosister added threateningly.

* * *

**Yay! Sorry for the long wait, guys. I know this chapter is long over-due but I've been incredibly busy. The ironic thing was, it was almost finished weeks ago but I had stuff to do so I only got round to adding the finishing touches this morning. ^_^ I hope it's okay. It's shorter that I originally wanted, and it only focuses on a small percentage of characters but hopefully it makes up for the time. I didn't want to add more because I had just reached 100 pages on my word processor! 8D! **

**So yeah, all characters belong to their owners and... Keep reading to find out more. ^^**


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven: One Loss, One Gain.

Alex was agitated, worried, upset, angry, and much, much more. Sitting on her sofa, the blonde was gnawing on her thumb nail anxiously. Just where was Claire? Her psychic contact with her sister-like wolf-dog partner had been cancelled out, but how could that have happened? Alex could tell that her furry friend was alive, but that was it. She couldn't tell where she was, how she was and she definitely couldn't speak to her.

This was driving the hero to the brink of insanity. What kind of game was Claire playing? If she was tricking the blonde, she was yet to be in a world of pain. Claire had to know just how worried Alex was with Veronica missing and know _she _had disappeared! If this was the work of a villain, Alex was frightened that Silver would act.

Silver strands had already began to flicker through her hair, and that was more than enough to puzzle and scare her. She kept seeing her darker reflections constantly in mirrors and other glassy materials.

Alex sighed deeply, rubbing her cheek gingerly while closing her eyes. She had began to feel quite lonely without her companion, and her home seemed much more quieter... It was quite creepy. Alex opened her eyes again to notice that the television had been on. She hadn't even heard the words that buzzed from it. It was a news channel, and they were discussing the disappearance of the town's most trusted heroes.

"Underground Alliance is a secret then?" she asked herself, slowly stretching on the couch. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" she sighed. Leaning forward, she watched the news programme with little interest. Behind her, a clock resumed ticking; getting louder and louder. Slowly, Alex stretched on the sofa, putting her legs on it and closed her eyes to _rest them_. After a few minutes of darkness, Alex was soon pulled into the abyss of sleep where she began to fight against her alter-ego.

* * *

Sighing, a brunette stared at her reflection in the mirror. She blinked, her amber eyes shining brightly. Reaching for the red hair dye, the girl began to tremble. Was it right to pretend to be her sister to capture the other girl?

Victoria realised that she had no choice and began to sprinkle the dye on her already wet hair. She lathered it in, foam covering every last strand of brown hair. "Sorry Alex, but Veronica is comin' back," she smirked at her reflection. "An' nawt in the way y'all know."

Rinsing her hair, Victoria realised that she was already looking more like her twin. She rubbed her arm delicately as she looked around her hotel bathroom. The walls were tiled, as well as the floor. There seemed to be a white theme going around. The bath was connected to a shower, and a toilet and sink rested snugly sideways.

A clear blue bag rested on the sink, that contained a mini hair dryer. Victoria took it out of the bag and plugged it into the wall. A loud buzzing noise escaped from the device and hot air fought against the wetness of Victoria's newly dyed hair.

Once finished, Victoria placed the hair dryer back into the bag and grinned at her red hair. "Ah just hope ma last nose job did the trick," she flicked it slightly, admiring at how small and snubbed it was than what it used to be. "This appears to be what Veronica has, Ah can never quite remember." She grabbed a brush and used it on her hair to soften it up.

Victoria left the bathroom, and switched off the light. She walked to the largest window that stared out towards the city of Jump. "Ah can't believe Ah'm back here so early, after that encounter," she shivered at the memory.

Just then, a beeping reached her ears. "Oh, Ah have a call." She took her phone from the coffee table and pressed it to her ears. "Hello?"

"Victoria, darling, I'm glad I could reach you!" a shrill yet stern voice flooded into Victoria's ears.

"Yes, Delilah, sorry for being AWOL," she rolled her amber eyes. She knew being part of S.T.R.I.K.E was a big advantage, but having a mentor such as Hypnosister was always tiring. She never thought she would think it, but maybe Slade as a mentor would have been easier. The thought dawned on her and she shuddered. Maybe not.

"Well, that doesn't matter," Delilah sounded strangely happy. "We've already captured four girls and a wolf-dog hybrid, isn't that exciting?"

_Hardly_, Victoria thought but said, "Of course! And more is to come, yeah?"

"Oh, of course. We need more! The Underground Alliance is nothing but a simple annoyance, and we must rid of it!" Victoria cringed at how loud and obnoxious Delilah's voice sounded. She wondered how Delilah could hypnotise with her voice sounding like this at the moment.

"And Ah'm here to help y'all," Victoria added, hoping Delilah couldn't detect the flatness in her voice.

Delilah laughed, her voice strangely alluring, "Yes, you are a very important person in our games, Victoria, there are a few heroes I want you to get rid of while in Jump City."

"Aside from Silver Wolf?" Victoria asked, confused. She was only registered to capture one, so why did the leaders change their minds?

"Silver Wolf is a target, yes, but we have her other half, so maybe she will be weakened," Delilah suggested, "And if this is the case, we have another so-called hero for you to capture."

"Do tell," Victoria sat down on her chair, drinking the remains of the cola that she had left herself.

"Ever since the Underground Alliance formed and were shipped off to our minor locations; our allies thought they would have an easier job doing what they did best. However, this hasn't been the case. There are still heroes around, and one of them, is called Verita."

"Verita, huh?" Victoria finished her drink and placed the glass down by the coffee table. "Ah'm afraid Ah haven't heard of them."

Delilah made a small laughter of understanding, "Don't worry yourself, there are some more I want you to take care of, so I'll send their profiles via e-mail."

"Okay, that seems doable," Victoria stretched.

"First, capture Silver Wolf," Delilah ordered, her voice stern again. "Mumbo Jumbo is around so he'll send her here. Afterwards, you can take care of Verita and Hexe."

Victoria sighed, "Okay, Silver Wolf first, then other heroes, gotcha."

"Good, I expect this to be done without mistakes." Delilah added in a warning voice.

"Of course," Victoria rolled her eyes quickly before ready to say her goodbyes. "Well, I better go."

"**Don't **disappoint me," Delilah grunted before hanging up. Victoria shook her head, her newly red hair swaying around her as she did so. She hated when people told her what to do, it was no secret that she was stubborn. However, she knew that her survival was relying on Hypnosister and S.T.R.I.K.E, and if her sister was captured, then she would have no real problems. She would be safe.

Placing the phone down on the coffee table, Victoria went over to her closet. She opened it up and took out light blue jeans and a fresh white tank top. Quickly, she changed and added a grey fleece and black boots. She decided that this was the kind of casual clothes her sister wore. "Okay, so how am Ah to trick this Alex girl?" she asked her reflection. Crossing her arms, she began to think deeply.

* * *

A petite, red-haired girl spun, the sparkles in her hair shining in the spotlight. She pushed her leg upwards, bending the rest of her down as she did so. She then reached for the wooden floor with her hands and rolled backwards until both feet connected to the floor. She spun again, standing up and stretched her arms out to end it gracefully.

The remaining audience (made up with the other dancers, singers and the directors) applauded. Rosemarie took a deep breath as she smiled and observed everybody clapping.

A shorter girl came up to the hazel-eyed dancer and slowly, she said, "Well done, Rosemarie, the directors loved you!"

"Thanks," Rosemarie signed back to her, still carefully watching the other girl's lips. "I hope they did." She still replied softly, to make sure she was clear to the other dancer.

"Oh, here comes..." the blonde-haired girl bounced in excitement. Rosemarie raised an eyebrow, not catching the last part. Instead, she looked over to where her companion was pointing to and spotted a tall, tanned man with sunglasses and short, spiky hair.

"The director?" She asked the other girl.

"Yes," the blonde nodded, "He's directing Oliver here."

"Oliver?" Rosemarie asked, slightly stunned. "Do you think he wants me to participate?"

"Let's hope so, you were fantastic, and you blew us all away with your singing earlier," the blonde bounced again, clearly ecstatic. She was wearing a green leotard with a darker skirt and matching leggings. They had sparkles on them and her long, blonde hair was pulled in a ponytail.

Rosemarie smiled happily, hoping that this would be another step towards her dream of becoming a national Broadway performer. Maybe along the lines, she would encounter performing Cats. It was then that she realised she was day-dreaming and woke up to the blonde waving her hand in front of her face.

Rosemarie blinked, "Sorry."

"Don't worry," the other dancer giggled. "I know just how much you love performing, and I wish you the best of luck," she smiled and kept her eyes on the director.

"You were good as well," Rosemarie added, "Surely he's here for you too." She didn't want to seem selfish in this spotlight glory, and she didn't want to do it by herself.

"Don't worry about me, Rose," she grinned. "I don't think I can do any singing anyway, I'm close to getting tonsillitis or something," she laughed harshly. "So I can't come to choir for a few weeks."

"How do you know that you will get it?" Rosemarie raised an eyebrow, still aware of the director walking towards them. "You may be able to avoid it, you know."

The other girl smiled warmly and nodded, "I hope I can, but my mum thinks I'm getting it too; it's just been really sore."

"I hope you get better," Rosemarie signed. The tall, obviously famous and rich director approached the girls, a massive grin on his face.

"Well done girls, that was amazing," he nodded to them. The blonde resisted the urge to cry out in triumph, but Rosemarie grinned, the biggest smile she could handle that day. She carefully watched the older man's lips, trying to pick up all the words so she would understand exactly what was going on.

"Thank you sir," the green-wearing dancer giggled. She nudged Rosemarie slightly.

"Wha-, uh, thank you sir," she added quickly, signing as well as talking. The director gave her a strange look. "I'm deaf," Rosemarie frowned, pointing to her ears.

"Oh," the director laughed nervously, "Sorry dear."

Rosemarie gave him a small smile, "Don't worry."

"Well, anyway," The director grinned, "My name is Antoine Grey, and I'm currently in the middle of building up Oliver. I think both of you would be an excellent addition to the cast." Rosemarie gulped in surprise, whereas her friend's jaw nearly hit the ground. "May I ask you both for your names?"

"Rosemarie Andrews," the said red-head shook hands with the easily good-looking director.

"Anna Dall," the blonde grinned, shaking hands eagerly.

"A pleasure to meet such fine ladies," Antoine smiled gently. Anna giggled and Rosemarie smiled. "Well, hopefully I'll see you both at the theatre by the centre, and a little audition is in order."

Anna nodded, "Of course, sir. When will we go?"

The director began to count in his head, "Next Thursday would be a good day. I have the other remaining cast ready and they'll all be there."

"Sounds good," Rosemarie grinned, "I'm positive I can make it then."

"Excellent, I expect you both there at 4:45pm," he smiled and walked away, collecting his bag and leading another three actors out.

Anna sighed in relief before glomping Rosemarie into an incredibly tight hug. "I need to breathe, Anna," Rosemarie gasped, panting for breath. Anna let go, laughing nervously.

"I told you we would be successful, right? I was right!" Anna chuckled, bouncing ecstatically.

"I am glad you are," Rosemarie rubbed her stomach cautiously. She then noticed that the hall was clearing, ready to close. "What time is it?" she asked slowly.

"Hmm?" Anna took her phone from her pocket and looked at it, "Three in the afternoon, why?"

Rosemarie grinned and nodded to her, "I have to go."

"Oh? Bye then," Anna smiled and embraced the deaf red-haired girl. "I'll see you at the audition, right?"

Rosemarie signed, "Yes. Goodbye, Anna." She winked and walked over to the chair she had sat on previously. Gathering her bag and shoes, she headed for the changing room to get into her normal clothes.

Life seemed easy for the young girl now. She loved it when things went her way, but then everyone probably did. It wasn't an easy thing to gain the attention of a successful direction, but both her and Anna had achieved that and she was one more step away from being successful herself.

Rosemarie opened the door and slipped in. The changing rooms wasn't empty, three more girls in it. One was a brunette wearing a dark purple leotard with a silver skirt. She recognized her from dance practice. The other two girls weren't ones she knew. There was a blonde and a girl with jet black hair.

The brunette looked up from getting something from her bag and smiled at Rosemarie, "Hey, girl. Awesome job on that performance."

"Thanks," Rosemarie blinked, confused at the surprising friendly reaction. The blonde raised her eyebrow as she glanced over at the younger girl. She gave her a small smile but went back to buttoning her shirt.

The black-haired girl had sharp emerald eyes which bore into Rosemarie. She didn't look like she was trouble, but she didn't look like someone to mess with. She had pulled on a black tank top, and a red and black tartan skirt. Her hair was wild and short, made into a bushy ponytail.

Rosemarie decided it was best to change quickly. She dumped her bag on the bench, then unzipped it. Inside was a pair of light blue jeans and a green sparkly top. Quickly, she changed and brushed her hair. Gazing at the clock, the girl realised she had to hurry. She needed to do some homework.

Her white jacket was thrown on, her light green converse were strapped on and it was time to go. Time had gone pretty fast, faster than usual.

_I better go now,_ Rosemarie thought to herself, leaving the changing rooms then the building.

* * *

Leela frowned as chills began to shift around in her body. The open window should be the least of her problems, but it kept bothering the brunette. Grimacing, she stood up from the plastic chair and closed the window. Locking the lever into place, Leela turned around and sat back down. She crossed her arms, frustration and worry building up on her face.

The door opened to reveal Grace with a can of soda in her hand. She carefully stepped in and walked over to her team-mate. "Here," she handed it to her.

Leela glanced at it and took it appreciatively, "Thanks, Grace," she sighed, opening it. The can made a hissing sound as the top was removed. She placed it to her lips and began to drink it slowly.

"Have you slept at all?" Grace asked, her voice dry and obviously bored.

"Since _when_?" Leela asked, eyebrow raised. "I have no idea, to be honest. How long have we been here?"

"Two days," Grace sat down on another plastic chair next to the tired brunette. "Jen hasn't woken up yet."

Leela's eyes turned back to the can as she took another sip, "Two days..." she murmured. Grace shook her head at her. She was worried too; something had to be really wrong with their bouncy friend. This was too strange.

They were currently sitting in the hospital. Jen was still unconscious in another room. Her honey-coloured hair was spread out over the pillow. Her skin had turned slightly paler since she had lost consciousness. Dark circles somehow managed to appear on her eyes, even though she hadn't opened them. Bruises covered her arms and legs and a few cuts had gained attention. She wore a white nightgown and her pale, skinny arm was holding on numbly to the sheet that covered her.

A doctor stood by the window, confused. He couldn't detect anything wrong with the girl, but she was clearly not well. If he let the girl die, he would get fired, surely. He had lost too many patients, and he refused to give up on this one. Clenching his fist, the dark-haired man looked over to the girl. His grey eyes narrowed as he promised himself that he would cure her.

Amberlee's breath hitched in her throat as a familiar scene replayed in her head. Asleep, she was sitting on an armchair, both hands in her jacket pockets. Her red hair had fallen from the clasp, and had slithered down past her shoulders. Part of her fringe covered her closed eyes.

"_Amber, you're not going to leave me, are you?" a girl asked, hurt in her soft voice._

"_I'm sorry, I need to do this," Amberlee frowned, her slender eyebrows lowering. Carefully, the other girl placed her hand on Amberlee's shoulder, her eyes watering. Amberlee closed her eyes at the touch. She held the hand gently, then let go. She began to walk away, hands in pockets. Tears fell down the other girl's cheeks, her chest heaving in despair. _

"_You promised!" she yelled. _

Amberlee's eyes slowly opened, signalling the end of the dream. A tear slowly escaped her eye and slipped down. She wiped it clumsily before standing up. The chair creaked from the lazy effort.

Gathering her bag, Amberlee left the room, ignoring the other people. She could already feel the waves of stress, anxiety and pain that came from everyone, and Amberlee's own feelings didn't help that. Her heart felt heavy from both the dream and the current situation she had found herself in. Why was she at the hospital again?

Her question was answered when she noticed Grace move away from a vending machine. The white-blonde quickly left the hall and headed down somewhere. Amberlee gave her a curious look. Where was she going? The red panda took her hands out of her pockets and followed behind Grace.

She trailed down several corridors, stopping when she noticed Grace opening a door. The team-mate was holding a can of soda. Amberlee carefully walked to the door and peered in to see both Grace and Leela. Grace gave Leela the drink and sat down.

"Yeah, two days," Grace frowned.

"A long time to be unconscious," Leela drank more of the soda.

"Scary, huh?" Amberlee opened the door further and walked in. Grace snapped her head up to notice her arrival and nodded slowly.

"It could have been _any _of us," Leela shook her head, looking at them both. "Think about it. Jen got caught first, if we continue, any of us can get killed."

"That's what heroes have to face everyday," Amberlee reminded her, sitting on another plastic chair. Even with the window closed, the room still felt cold. The tiled floor only decreased the heat, and the white panelled walls didn't help. It was a small room, with lots of chairs and doors on either side. Three windows sat behind the girls.

They sat in silence, Leela sipping at the soda. It slid down her scratchy throat, bringing a chill with it. Amberlee drummed her fingers on her knee and Grace stretched. The day was going to be another long and tiring one, just what the girls had wanted to avoid.

Their mission had been cancelled (on their point of view) when Jen had been found unconscious. There was no way they would continue at this stage. The deed was heavily relied on the other two teams. When Jen would recover, they would continue but they all decided that this was a sign to rest.

It was still a confusing matter, and very frustrating.

Amberlee felt the need to stretch and get out of the suffocating room quickly. Obviously there was air in the room, but it was strained from worry and tension. The ability to pick up on people's emotions had always troubled her, but it was stronger now, since it was her, who had the negative emotions too.

"I'm going to go walk," she announced, standing up.

"Whatever you want," Grace shrugged, "Just come back in one piece," she half-joked. Amberlee gave her a disapproving glance before leaving the room, almost lazily.

The remaining girls sat in silence, Leela unable to remove her lips from the can. A small buzz zapped through her body, but it didn't perk up her mood. It gave her a little more energy.

"You think she'll be alright?" Leela asked quietly, breaking the restless silence. Her voice was small and almost broken, as she turned to face Grace.

Grace nodded slowly, trying to convince herself as she said: "She'll be fine, Leela."

"I hope so," Leela tilted her head, her hair falling down, hiding her face. She sipped more at the can, obviously not in a talking mood.

The white-blonde watched her, worriedly. Leela was always expressive, there was just an innocent cheerfulness that surrounded her, but this was too much. Depression didn't suit her, and it shouldn't. Life was just complicated. It had always been, especially for these girls.

Grace's stern eyes watched the open door cautiously, noticing shadows pass across. _Well, this is boring_, she thought to herself. Even her inner voice sounded droll and strained.

Amberlee didn't know where she was going, and to be honest, she didn't care. Any place was better than that room, where the emotions were probably going to overwhelm and choke her.

She could have simply stayed in Jump City... But no... She had to play the hero, had to break the girl's heart, and had to endanger herself and her team-mates. Another thought crossed her, if she knew who her father was, it could help. However, the idea of knowing sent shivers up her back. Why did her mother hide his identity from her? She deserved to know, right?

Amberlee also felt burning in her chest, a feeling of betrayal and sadness buried deep within. It was unusual for the red panda to experience such pain and negative emotions. It was obvious to her friends that she was short-tempered, and that was never a good combination when she could easily send someone away, via portal. She wasn't used to feel so down and depressed though, but now was the perfect time to become blue.

She just couldn't think clearly. All these thoughts were zapping across her brain in different directions, confusing her further. Why couldn't life have been so simple?

"Hey! Watch where you-.." a voice broke off, startled to have been pushed by so. "Amber?"

Amberlee looked up, apologetic, "Sorry, I didn't see you there." Her eyes widened at both being recognized and how familiar the girl looked.

She was tall, slender with a Latino effect. Her skin was slightly dark, and soft looking. Her black hair was slanted towards her chin, as well as a fringe that held her shaped eyebrows. She had a small face with a pointed chin. Her eyes were almost almond, a dark chocolate colour.

"Kathy," she breathed. The girls stared at each other in surprise, their reunion was unexpected.

Kathy smiled, her chocolate brown eyes twinkling, "Great to see you, even if it's in a hospital," her voice had an obvious alluring ring to it, with a small French accent that clipped on the end of each word.

"I'm here for a friend," Amberlee murmured nervously, not certain if Kathy would approve of the Underground Alliance. Her identity as Pandalee wasn't exactly hidden from the young woman before her, but any little detail could endanger her and her team-mates' lives.

Kathy chuckled, "Really? In Paris?"

Amberlee nodded shyly, "Nothing to do with the modelling contest," she admitted, her face flushing as she remembered the last year's contest.

"Well, that's why I'm obviously here," the black-haired girl laughed again. She looked around, pursing her lips as she did so. "Would you like to get a coffee... Or?"

"I'll get water," Amberlee nodded again, smiling at her.

"Still a vegan?"

"Always," Amberlee's small smile turned to a grin as she winked at her. Kathy playfully tapped her nose and both girls walked quickly towards the small café.

* * *

Libitina frowned. Ideas and doubt were clouding her mind, and her control was faltering because of this. Sitting on her bed, she was revealed as a black-haired, red-eyed girl with eerily white skin. This was not Libitina, this was her dark side. Unfortunately for her, her normal side could end up being her former side.

She was returning slowly, her mind being controlled by her own will, but her appearance remained as the dark Criptozian part of her. Mirrors and water still showed her true reflection, but it was mostly unseen by anyone else but her. Worry was the main emotion she was feeling. The emotion was too strong, and not one that was fuelled by her Criptozian side, so naturally, she was normal.

She didn't need to fear that she could get exposed, since the doors were locked, and the curtains were covering the window. It was past midnight, maybe an hour or two after. She hadn't checked the time.

Instead, she was thinking.

How did she manage to get herself into this mess? How did she become her dark side and then somehow got involved with S.T.R.I.K.E? She couldn't remember, and it was probably a good thing that she didn't.

Another thing was bothering her. Would she remain as the Criptozian for long? Would the only way to become herself again was if S.T.R.I.K.E was defeated? She was beginning to feel something hurting in her chest and her head was affected with so much stressful thoughts.

Libitina looked up from her lap. Her gaze slowly circled the room, as if to look for something worth spotting. Her eyes locked with a golden eye and a red eye. Her _reflection_.

Maybe she just needed some sleep. Her team-mate, Patrick, was getting on her nerves. He was always staring suspiciously at her, and she knew that he was snooping around in her belongings. She left evident clues for him, but he didn't pick them up. Her possibly former self was begging for him to find out who she was. She wasn't Lane, that was probably obvious to both of them, but she also wasn't this dark creature, who would kill without a second thought.

A slow knock erupted on her door. Libitina's eyes widened. Suddenly, her appearance changed to match Lane's, her long black hair quickly shortening and dying itself red. She threw her legs over the bed, and it creaked as she got up.

"Who's there?" she asked, her voice almost exactly like a sleepy Lane.

"I-It's Patrick," a voice whispered from the other side. It sounded worried. Libitina bit her lip before walking to the door. She unlocked it and opened it a crack.

"Can I help you?"

Patrick himself looked worried. His eyes couldn't meet with Libitina's, and he was fidgeting as he stood.

"..." Libitina sighed and held the door open more. "Would you like to stand out there all day, or would you like to come in?" she asked drily. Patrick nodded slowly, and Libitina pushed the door to make room for him. He scurried in nervously. Libitina then closed the door and bolted it.

"Thanks," he murmured. He darted across the room and sat on the sofa, almost immediately. Libitina turned and looked at him.

"What's up with you?" she asked curiously, moving towards him slowly.

"...Can't sleep," Patrick averted his eyes from her curious stare. His voice was lower than normal, not exactly cold but not welcoming either.

Libitina felt her suspicion raise, "Care to share?" she asked, arms folded.

"Hm," Patrick didn't say anything to decrease Libitina's suspicion, but she could see worry and fear in his eyes. Something bad had happened to him, perhaps a bad dream? His body language said that he needed comfort, but he was too suspicious of Libitina to ever dream of asking her for help.

Of course, she understood. Neither of them were keen on the other, and Libitina's attempts to cloud his judgements and suspicions seemed effective enough. However, were they enough to keep herself covered? He hadn't exactly accused her of being a spy yet, but his motions and his expressions proved that he wouldn't hesitate to do so. She would need to keep her guard up at all time, and make him believe she was on his side.

A silence passed between both teens. He wouldn't tell her easily, or even at all. Libitina could feel the darkness rise between them, and could see his shoulders tense, and his fists clench. Libitina then realised something – he hated her.

A shiver ran up her spine at the realisation. She had never been hated before. Well, not by an Earthling anyway. Shaking her head, she began to walk away. Patrick raised his head, watching her curiously.

"Hm? W-What're you doing?"

"Switching on the light," Libitina replied flatly, reaching her finger out towards the light switch.

"W-Wait.. Don't," Patrick pleaded.

Libitina obliged and put her arm by her side. She gave Patrick a confused look. "And why not?" The boy didn't answer, but his outstretched arm, from where he had protested, remained in the air. "It's a little too dark, don't you think?" she asked, wondering why he wanted to remain in the dark.

Patrick returned his arm to himself, "I can see."

Libitina wasn't about to confess that due to her hunter skills, she could see perfectly too. "Fine, but can I at least open a window?"

"It's a free country... Probably."

Libitina rolled her eyes and strolled over to the curtained windows. She grabbed the creamy fabric and ripped them apart. A silver light almost encased her as the moon stared harshly towards her. She pushed the curtains to the holders, and leaned over to open the window.

Patrick watched her. She wasn't the least bit concerned on why he was here, sitting on her sofa. Well, that's what he believed. He watched as the silver moonlight bounced off the girl as she struggled with the handles. The light almost seemed to be a part of her skin, not just illuminating it. He found this suspicious. He also couldn't seem to see why her normal-looking skin didn't seem... Realistic? It was almost too flawless, no darkness to it. She almost hardly had any shadows on her. It was as if darkness and shadows just ignored her.

Libitina managed to unlock it and pushed the window further, letting in some air. She closed her eyes as she felt the sudden wave of freshness hit her. She was glad that the air was cool at night. It seemed to always remain so hot in the daytime. Then again, what did she expect of Hawaii – the volcanic island?

"Now," Libitina turned around to face her team-mate. "Do you want to talk?"

Patrick hesitated, uncertain whether or not he could trust the girl with his thoughts. His mind told him not too, she was using him and the team to get what she desired: whatever that may be. She was the enemy. His heart, however, told him he should trust her. She was on his side, and there was a forgiving and peaceful energy about her – even if he couldn't see it at the best of times.

Libitina noticed his lack of response, he probably didn't want to share any details, and she personally didn't blame him. Sighing, she moved away from the window and sat on her bed, watching Patrick intensely. She knew that he didn't trust her, it was painfully obvious. Yet, he was looking at Libitina desperately.

_He wants to trust me_, she thought to herself. _Of course... The sudden disappearance of two team-mates and what I presume was his friend, has broken him down. He knows he shouldn't trust me, but what he needs is a friend. Someone to confide in. _It was then that she felt a rush of emotion spread through-out her. She flinched, but kept it mostly hidden. Did _she_ need someone to confide in? The thought made her feel warm inside, but then coldness of dread sliced through her when she realised the consequence of that action. She couldn't tell her team-mate anything. She couldn't reveal who she was, where the kidnapped heroes were and what the whole plan was about.

Truthfully, she was at a loss with the idea. Hypnosister had told her some basic things and asked for her help. Well... Not exactly asked. She felt her blood run cold when she thought of that night. The auburn-haired villainess had learnt Libitina's painful weakness and had used it against her. She promised freedom and what she desired. She had pressed Libitina into submission, unleashing her darker, Criptozian side.

Becoming her darker side was the biggest mistake she had made... On Earth, anyway. Hypnosister used her manipulative ways against Libitina, and had forced her to obey. Now, Libitina was sitting on a foreign bed, hoping to convince this stranger that she wasn't a threat.

However, they both knew that she was. Because of her, Patrick had lost one of his dearest friends and an ally. He was struggling for hope, and he was aware that he could be next. That wasn't the case.

Libitina had been wise enough to cover her tracks, by making sure that Patrick would not be harmed or taken next. That would obviously raise suspicion against herself. But did Patrick know this? Did he know that whatever happened, she couldn't lay a finger on him - he was safe?

"I-I had a nightmare," Patrick's voice broke through the Criptonian's cloud of thought. Blinking rapidly, she turned her head and looked at him.

"You did?" she asked meekly.

"Yeah," Patrick nodded. He had made his choice. Whether or not he would regret it later, Patrick wanted to tell her. He wanted to rid of his fears and find comfort in another being. Whoever they may be.

Libitina gave him a long look before questioning him, "What kind of nightmare?"

"A-Almost like a memory," Patrick's voice was soft as he tried to remember. "When Alice disappeared. It keeps rewinding in the dream, letting me see all kinds of views on it."

Libitina blinked, feeling her heart race in fear. She had been dreaming the same thing the previous night. Had she accidentally sent it forwards mentally, or was it just coincidence? The thought then hit her hard. With her, nothing was coincidence.

"I saw what I could've done to save her – I s-saw... Her dying repeatedly," Patrick's voice cracked. He didn't want to think about it. Libitina realised that Patrick must have thought his friend was dead. As silence came on them, all she heard was her heartbeat. Guilt ran through her body. Chills wrapped around each portion of her. In his eyes, he must have thought she was a murderer. The word entered her mind several times, ringing louder and louder.

_I am not a murderer, _she thought, her plea loud in her head. Alice was alive, but she couldn't say that to Patrick. She wanted to, oh yes, she really wanted to now. The guilt slammed hard against her stomach. How could she let this boy believe that the girl was dead?

After minutes of deathly silence, Libitina was beginning to feel her Criptozian influence lower. She was returning to herself, simply because Criptozians didn't feel guilt. That was what she was feeling now. Dread, confusion, fear. Nausea was rising from her stomach, and a lump gathered in her throat.

Now she had complete control over her thoughts, her voice and her actions. She could tell Patrick now! She could escape! Hypnosister's plan for her would fail, and she would become herself again. However, when Libitina looked into the mirror, she still saw a replica of her Criptonian body. It looked at her in fear, begging for mercy.

_What do I do? _Her thoughts rang in her head, the adrenaline pounding in her body. Patrick had his head in his hands, shaking it violently. He was a mess, and it was all her fault. Libitina stood up hesitantly. She made her decision.

"Patrick?" she questioned nervously.

Patrick looked up, his eyes watery. "Hm?" Libitina's heart-rate wouldn't slow down as she tried to approach him. Her fake skin had turned paler and her pupils were larger. The brown-haired boy watched her in confusion.

"A-Al-Alice," Libitina was struggling for the words. _Alice is alive_, she said in her head. She just needed to try and get them out.

"Alice?"

"Alice is..."

"What?" Patrick looked worried again. Libitina shook her head, her throat felt tight and her head was pounding with pain. He stood up and grabbed her arms desperately. "Please Lane, what is it?"

"Alice is..."

"Please?"

"A-A-A-Alive!" Libitina yelled. At that exact second, pain shot up her body. An electrifying bolt pierced her, running through her blood and veins and made her scream in agony. Patrick's eyes widened at how she knew that and how hurt she suddenly became. Libitina staggered backwards, gasping for breath. The pain had startled her. Just what was that?

"Alive?" Patrick asked, "Really?"

Libitina nodded, doubled over in pain. She felt hot tears pass down her cheeks and fall to the floor. She had never felt such pain. Lifting her head, she noticed how pale Patrick had become and how shocked he appeared.

"W-What's wrong?"

Libitina was struggling, each breath brought pain to her throat and chest. That shot... It was designed to kill her. Patrick placed his hand on her shoulder, shakily. "I-I... Broke free."

"Broke... Free?"

Libitina's eyes closed and she fell forwards into Patrick's arms. He caught her in time as she passed out. His mouth hung open when he watched how her skin faded to an almost complete white. Her red hair dyed itself white and grew longer, reminding him of tendrils. She had somehow grown taller, and she appeared thinner but with evident muscles.

"L-Lane?"

* * *

Hypnosister was furious as she watched the screens. Impatiently, she stared harshly at the unconscious figure in the boy's arms. "How _dare _she?" she seethed.

A low chuckle was heard from behind her. Slade stepped forward, hands behind his back. "She felt guilt, Delilah, it is a strong weakness."

"But she was Criptozian," Hypnosister growled. "I managed to put her in that position."

"And she managed to get back out," Slade added lightly.

Hypnosister glared at the half-gold, half-black mask that hid Slade's face. "It wasn't meant to be like this," she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Not everything goes as plan," Slade shrugged his massive shoulders, turning his one, main eye on the screens. The Criptobian girl was unconscious, her identity revealed. "Those probes were designed to destroy her. I won't be surprised if she doesn't wake up."

"They were only supposed to be used for emergencies, Slade," Hypnosister told him in a warning voice. "I cannot believe you injected them into her."

Slade gave out a small chuckle, "I do not like betrayal, and I know she was not the most stable character – of course she would end up falling out of her darker side. It was only a matter of time."

Hypnosister glared at him before returning her attention to the screen, "If she dies, then it is not the worst thing that could happen."

"That is the _wrong _attitude," Slade argued, his voice sounding more serious and dark.

"It does give Hawaii a more suspicious rating," Hypnosister pointed out.

"But then it will be revealed that Libitina was a spy, and that their team-mates are alive," Slade told her impatiently.

"Don't argue with me, Slade, I know what I'm doing," Hypnosister stormed past him, fury written on her face. Slade shook his head, annoyed.

"That's where you are wrong," Slade's voice echoed through the room, so Hypnosister heard it. She held her hand on the door-frame, just about to leave. She frowned, her knuckles paling as she grabbed on to it more sternly. "Your so-called ingenious plan will only endanger yourself."

Hypnosister frowned and left the room, not letting Slade's words affect her in any way. "Say that again when I am winning," she muttered under her breath as she passed the corridors. Her heels made clip-clop sounds that bounced off the wall and made them seem even more louder as she hurried down. "My plan is perfection. Some things just go wrong, but they can also be fixed."

* * *

Hurrah! I have finally managed to get it finished. Sorry for the long delay, I had most of it done months ago, but after viruses and tons of exams - it was only recently that I got the inspiration and motivation to continue. Hope you like it :)

All the characters belong to their rightful owners.

I do not own anything but the ideas and my own OCs.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Alright people, welcome back to the story. Heh. Sorry for the massive delay, too much going on but I did have the majority of it sorted a few weeks back... It just loses itself before I get a chance to add much more. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the latest chapter. I tried to add as much drama that was suitable. Unfortunately, I did have a lot more ideas, but it was already about 22 pages in my OpenOffice word processor, so I basically just... Gave up, lol. I hope that I've written it as fluently as I would like, and that you enjoy it. All the characters belong to their rightful owners.**

* * *

Chapter 12: One Step At A Time

"What the hell am I going to do?" Patrick asked, his voice high and shrill as he held the collapsed girl. She looked almost peaceful in his hold, but he knew that was not the case. It must have been over ten minutes ago, when she had been brutally electrocuted.

The clock was still ticking away, but all Patrick could hear was his own heart beating with unwanted adrenaline. Carefully, he placed the unconscious girl on the sofa as he stepped back. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck.

The thought then dawned on him – what could he do? For all he knew, the girl was dead. Her chest wasn't moving, black marks were forming on her skin and her face remained stoic.

"Oh God..." he murmured. Just what could he do? The sleek, black laptop remained on the girl's night-stand. Should he contact the other members? If they found out that she appeared as someone else, she would automatically be known as a spy. They wouldn't help her.

Then he realised, why should _he _help her? He had always thought she was spy but she must have been risking her life at that last moment when she was conscious. "Okay... Maybe I can phone for an ambulance or something. Get her to hospital," he blurted, trying to calm himself.

The phone started ringing loudly. Patrick jumped. He rushed towards it then hesitated. This couldn't be a good thing. Biting his lip, he pressed a button that would record the conversation as he lifted up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hallo?" a voice seemed distorted.

"Yeah, it's me," Patrick turned his head to look at the unconscious stranger. "Who is it?"

"It's Delphi," the feminine voice suddenly became more clear.

"Gina?"

"Mhmm."

Patrick looked shocked for a moment, "What are you calling for?"

"I just had a vision."

The boy remained quiet for a few moments, "Really?"

Delphi's voice began to sound more business-like and hoarse, "Yes, Hallo. A vision. May I please speak with Tempest – your leader?"

Patrick's eyes slowly scanned the girl, her limbs were spread around the sofa and her long eyelashes cast shadows down her face. If the girl with the phantom-like appearance had called him so suddenly, did that mean she knew about her collapse? Patrick wasn't certain as he studied the white-skinned, white-haired girl. The hair fell down her face and back like tendrils. Her white skin seemed almost flawless, but bruises and cuts were seen on her face. She had a normal-looking nose, it peaked out a bit but was not too long or too snub. Her lips were thin and small, but not pouty. Patrick felt his heart beat faster as he stared at her. Just _who _was she?

"Hallo?" Delphi's sharp but usually quiet voice stirred through Patrick's mind and brought him back to reality.

"Oh? Uhm, sorry, I can't. Lane..-Tempest is currently unavailable," he forced himself to say, still staring at the stranger.

"I know it must be quite late for you both, but this is urgent, I wouldn't be calling otherwise," Patrick could hear how strained the young woman's voice was. He needed to think of a good excuse, and fast.

Patrick hesitated, "I'm afraid I can't get her to the phone right now, but you can tell me what's wrong. I-I'll pass on the message, w-when I get a chance."

Delphi seemed hesitant too, her sharp voice cutting off as she thought. "Okay, tell her that she may be next to get captured."

Patrick looked over at the girl, who was still unconscious. "What do you mean?"

"When I first had a vision, I saw Lane, Alice and Natasha," Delphi explained. She waited to continue until after Patrick gasped. "They are all alive, but weak. They are imprisoned in S.T.R.I.K.E's facilities, since they know about us – but we don't know where they are. Since Lane is still with you, that means she will be next. Please keep her safe."

"Wait, did you have any kind of vision that relates to Lane's capture?" Patrick asked, his voice strained.

"Well," Delphi hesitated again. "I did have a miniature one this morning, but I'm afraid it was all jumbled up and I can't complete the sequence."

The boy then pleaded, "Can you please just tell me what you know? If it relates, then maybe I can use it to my advantage to keep her safe."

"Okay," Delphi sighed in defeat. "The images came in flashes, none of them were very long, and none of them made complete sense. The first one was you entering Lane's room, you looked pretty distraught. It ended with you sitting on the couch." Patrick nodded to himself, remembering the previous scenario. "She appears by the window, a far-away look in her eyes. You are still sitting on the couch, looking even worse. Suddenly another image appears, and she is... Electrocuted? I don't know, but a pain is evident from her and she collapses." Patrick felt sad as he remembered.

"Anything else?" he asked, after she paused.

"Then... There's a woman," Delphi struggled to find the right words. "Quite tall, curvy, a bit pale. Long, red hair, kinda wavy and curly. Her eyes... Really hypnotising, they were green."

Patrick listened to the description, "What about her?"

After another agonizing moment, Delphi replied with a sad tint in her voice, "I saw an image of her talking to this other man – he was tall with this really black hair and these... Striking blue eyes. She told him about some girl... Libitina? The woman told him that this Libitina betrayed him, and he went berserk. He started yelling, then it fades out after a few moments."

"Okay," Patrick said, hoping that one word would be enough to encourage the girl.

"The next image is of those two people again, the woman tells the man that he must destroy this Libitina. He nods and walks out of the room," Delphi took a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "The next image – he comes into Lane's room, with a blade. I think he wants to kill one of you. I think he's after Lane. The final image, he drags Lane out of the room, after stabbing her. I don't know where he stabs her, but she's bleeding and unconscious."

Alice, Lane and Natasha were once again sitting uncomfortably in their cells. They all appeared much thinner than before, and their clothes were beginning to gather dust and dirt. They had all refused the food, but it would be their biggest mistake if this was to continue.

A low growl came from Alice's stomach and she gave a nervous laugh, automatically embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"It's alright," Lane sighed. "We're all hungry." Their voices quietened again. It wasn't fair. They were all trapped, hungry, tired, bored and now – they didn't even know what to say to each other.

A whine came from the other side of the room and Natasha looked over, startled, towards Luna – who was lying miserably on the hard floor, her cold, black nose touching the bars. Natasha noticed that the electronic collar had been removed and was hanging on the wall, with the main key. She could feel a powerful and familiar energy radiate from the collar, and felt control being regained in her body. Just for a moment, she heard the scrambling of electricity run through her head and a faint _help_ become clear.

Standing up, she stared at Luna in wonder. "You there?" she asked. "Are you called Luna?"

Luna raised her head, blinking before nodding.

"You understand what I'm saying?" Another nod came from the wolf-dog hybrid. "Good." Alice and Lane shared a puzzled look.

Alice then looked over at Natasha, "What are you doing?"

"I can feel electronic waves from that collar over there," Natasha pointed to the device, "And I have a feeling that if I can talk to her, it might help us."

"But how?" Lane questioned, giving Luna an anxious glance. The wolf-dog stretched and stood still as she watched the humans carefully and slightly worriedly. She occasionally kept stealing glances at the large tube that held her red-headed friend.

Veronica hadn't looked much different herself. Her red hair was floating around her, and her skin appeared slightly more paler without her energetic glow. Gold lines covered her body, giving her a more eerie and almost inhuman look. Luna didn't like seeing her like that. Flashes of memories of Veronica telling her and her partner about her past was running through her mind as she watched the golden lines glow immensely.

"Luna?" Luna turned her head to look back at Natasha. "I want you to try and say something." The wolf-dog gave her a questioning look. "I might be able to understand you through that collar that you seem to be connected with."

"The collar is still connected with her?" Lane asked disbelievingly.

Natasha frowned, "I want to check." Luna gave a small grunt, gaining attention again. "Okay, say anything."

_I want out of here_, Luna tried to say. A small beep came from the collar, making a part of it light up. Natasha was focused on it, listening to the words as they entered her mind.

"I heard you," Natasha let out a relieved breath. "You said _I want out of here_," she told her. Luna nodded, eyes wide. Alice and Lane looked over at Natasha, eyebrows raised. "At least we can communicate now," she smiled at the canine.

Luna nodded again, _Yeah, that makes it more handy_.

"Indeed."

Alice and Lane gave each other another puzzled look.

"Now, Luna, I want to help you out – but we need help getting out ourselves," Natasha began. Luna sat down carefully, watching her with anticipation. "We have a plan, a small plan, but a plan anyway."

_I'm listening._

"Good," Natasha grinned for a moment. "We still have a portion of our powers, which explains why I can communicate with you through your electronic collar-"

_That makes sense._

"-but our energy is decreasing due to us refusing the food we're given."

_Then why not eat it? _Luna tilted her head in confusion.

"We're afraid that it's drugged, you see?"

_Oh._

"Which is why we need that girl's help," Natasha pointed to the tube. "Boom Baby?" Luna gave a sad nod. "Is she a friend?"

_Yeah, a good friend. _

"A few days ago, Hypnosister confessed that the neutralisers that were placed in us don't work in that girl," the brunette explained. "And it's given us the idea that maybe the suppose drugs in our food won't affect her either."

Luna looked thoughtful for a moment, _Yeah, they shouldn't work. V's been trained to not be affected by drugs so I don't think they would harm her._

"Well, that's what we're hoping," Natasha replied. "If we can get her out of the tube and ask for her to eat some food – to see if they are in fact drugged, then we might have a source of energy. If it isn't drugged, we will eat the food to regain our energy and hopefully become strong enough to attempt an escape."

_But how do we get her out? _Luna whined.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Natasha frowned. "I was thinking that since you seem to know this Boom Baby, then maybe you can help us out. Give us some suggestions?"

_Uhm? _Luna looked startled, and confused. She shook her head. _I'm sorry, I don't know what would work. _

"It's okay," Natasha said, disappointment in her voice. Alice sighed, understanding what the canine must have said. She looked at Lane and gave her a weak smile, trying to find some encouragement.

"Excuse me, but are you talking to the dog?" a fresh voice occurred from the doorway. It was Black Cat. Her tail was swaying quickly, noticing the hybrid. She was feeling a new amount of fear trample her mind as she watched Luna carefully.

Luna's pupils slitted and she bared her canine teeth in annoyance. _A cat! _She stood up and growled at Black Cat, the fur on her tail acting frenzy.

"This is Luna," Lane explained as Black Cat rapidly raced towards the girls, and as far away as Luna as she could. Her eyes were wide, and her heart was racing.

_Damnit, why a dog? _She asked herself as she looked away from the furry canine and at Lane. "Luna, huh?"

"Yeah, a new prisoner," Natasha explained glumly. "She appears to have a connection with Boom Baby, but we don't have any more ideas on how to get her out."

"You still trying that?" Black Cat asked. As Natasha and Alice nodded, she continued, "Well, hopefully I have some good news and an advantage for you on getting Boom Baby out."

"Really?" Alice's eyes went wide. "How?"

"There has been some... _Betrayal_ in Hawaii, Honolulu-" Alice's eyes narrowed and Natasha clenched her fists "-one of the spies, called Libitina, has confessed to her team-mate: Hallo-" Alice lowered her head, "-that you are alive, and she was recently electrocuted by Hypnosister. Well, technically by Slade." She shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Lane asked in wonder.

"Libitina was the spy that acted like you," Black Cat nodded to Lane, "As far as I know, and she was being watched by S.T.R.I.K.E. Apparently, after she came clean, she was quickly electrocuted by us – we don't know if she survived it yet. This means, that Hypnosister's attention has decreased on you and she is going to send someone to Hawaii to get rid of Libitina, and possibly Hallo."

"What?" Alice blurted, eyes wide. "She can't!"

"Precisely, that's why she's going to send someone else to do it," Black Cat rolled her feline eyes. "Whether she wants to rid of this Hallo guy or not is beyond me, but after she will leave, security will falter here. You'll probably have only one guard: me."

Natasha gave her a curious look, "So, you can set us free?"

"No, no," Black Cat shook her head quickly, "That's impossible. What I can do is help you get this Boom Baby out of the tube and into your cell. Only problem is, she'll need to go back in before Hypnosister gets back or suspicion will truly rise."

Luna forgot about her hunter's instincts and sat down, staring at the cat-girl in amazement. _Really? She can release Veronica? _Natasha's eyebrow raised slightly for a moment as she heard Luna's question. She chose not to reply, however.

The question hung in the air for a few minutes before Alice asked, "When?"

"Hypnosister will take off quite quickly, she wants rid of Libitina immediately, so perhaps in the next couple of days," Black Cat explained simply. "I can't guarantee that I'll be able to truly do it, but I'll try."

"Thank you," Lane smiled, "For everything."

"Hey, no need to thank me. Obviously, I have my own reasons," Black Cat shrugged before she left the room, giving Luna a quick worried glance.

_I don't like that stupid cat_, Luna growled to herself.

Natasha chuckled, "I assume it's your instincts then?" Luna nodded slowly before lying down, staring at the tube that held her explosive friend.

The silence that followed was quick to end, "I can't believe it. We have a chance!" Alice raised her fist in the air in triumph. Lane stepped back, bewildered at the sudden enthusiasm. Natasha smirked.

Lane snorted, "It doesn't mean we have a bigger chance of escaping," she declared. Alice felt all enthusiasm leave her body.

"Oh.. Why not?"

"She's right," Natasha sighed, "If we can get her to eat the food, and determine if it isn't drugged, it still doesn't mean we can escape."

"Well, we are a step forward, we should at least celebrate," Alice snapped at them, placing her hands on her tiny waist.

_Cake? _Luna wagged her tail, almost forgetting that they were prisoners and cake would probably be close to impossible. Natasha heard the single request and looked at the wolf-dog hybrid in disbelief.

"No cake," she scolded. Luna sank to the floor, whimpering in despair.

"Seriously, you guys, we shouldn't let this small victory overwhelm us," Lane scowled. "We still need to figure out what to do_ if _all goes to plan on the whole drugged food thing."

"So, let's start thinking," Alice sat down eagerly on the hard floor. "Any suggestions?"

Eyes closed, the auburn-haired villainess had her head placed on the many pieces of paper that covered her wooden desk. Her hair was sprawled around and she was softly snoring. Stress was causing her headaches and tiredness, and she didn't like it. Even as she was fast asleep, she was having dreams of failing. This was not what should happen, she had reminded herself over and over.

The door slowly creaked open and the young teenage pyromaniac known as Lava Girl entered the room slyly. She looked over at Hypnosister with her bright orange eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight of the sleeping villainess. "Really? _Now _of all time?" she growled to herself.

Hearing a voice, Hypnosister stirred and raised her head. Sleepily, she opened her eyes and looked at the impatient Lava Girl. "Hm?" It took her an unnecessary moment to regain her full consciousness and realisation. "W-What are you doing here? In my study?" she blurted.

"Well, considering you couldn't talk to me a few days ago when I had something urgent to tell you, I thought I would pay you a visit," Lava Girl frowned.

"Without my permission?" Hypnosister snapped, narrowing her emerald green eyes. Sighing, she stretched. "How long have you been in here?"

"Just came in," Lava Girl replied.

"Oh really?" the leader of S.T.R.I.K.E questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Well, since you've caught me in a bad time, you might as well hurry up with what you want to say. I _am _somewhat busy, you know."

"Yeah, a couple more hours of sleep, right?" Lava Girl snorted. She refrained from adding anything else when she saw the darkened glare being pressed on to her. "U-Uhm. Yeah."

"Get on with it."

"I don't trust that new arrival," Lava Girl said quickly.

"The mutt? Don't worry, she's restrained," Hypnosister shook her head then turned her attention back to the papers on her desk.

"_Not _the mutt. The new guard – that Black Cat girl."

Hypnosister raised her head and stared at Lava Girl. "Why not?"

Lava Girl frowned, her orange eyes narrowing, "I think she's a spy."

"You _think_?" Hypnosister raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think."

"Pray, tell me why you don't trust Black Cat, and make it short," Hypnosister ordered, obviously frustrated and tired of the conversation.

"I heard her talking to the prisoners, something about helping them escape," Lava Girl shrugged. Hypnosister froze in shock.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Hypnosister sighed as she sunk in her leather chair. "I don't want to hear accusations."

Lava Girl was growing irritated by the leader. "I'm not lying, or whatever. I know she's our enemy."

"Prove it," Hypnosister frowned.

"P-Prove?" Lava Girl looked blanked, her face paling as she discovered that she didn't have any solid proof. "Uhm..." _How can I prove it? _

"Can you not?" the auburn-haired villainess asked smugly. "If that's the case, then please leave my study." Lava-Girl was ready to attack with stern words, but realised that it was pointless and simply left.

"Fine, but I'll come back with proof."

After the door closed, Hypnosister sighed once again and shook her head. Closing her eyes, she relaxed her tense muscles into the chair. A pain was gathering in her head and found herself tired again. Placing her elbows on the desk, she rested her head in her palms. She took a deep breath as she tried to level her breathing. Why didn't she feel right?

Minutes past and she remained still with her head in her hands. More time flew past and she didn't move. Her breath slowed down and her arms collapsed on to the table, her head following.

Meanwhile, a frustrated Blade was marching through the corridors, in search of some painkillers or anything related. A pounding pain echoed in his head, his ears ringing with sharp taunt. He was walking with anger, the walls around him spinning. A hot wave of nausea had risen in him. He realised that he need to sit down but he didn't know where he was.

Placing a hand on the wall, he blinked and regained some control over his own body and consciousness. "Ugh," he groaned and kept walking. _Where _was he? The walls in the corridors all looked the same. Grey, boring, steel-like. He didn't mind them too much, but he felt like he was going in circles.

Deciding to keep moving, he came across an unfamiliar door – to who was behind it seemed impossible to figure out for Blade, but he could recognize some emotions that was leaking from the room. Opening the door, he peered in and to his surprise, found a study.

It was a small room, with wooden panels in the floor and dark red walls. Three bookcases were placed under the large window. Light poured in from the window, suggesting it wasn't too late in the day. A clock was hanging high on the wall, telling Blade the correct time. Looking down, he scanned a wooden desk, covered in paper. Lying on it was Hypnosister.

A shiver ran up his spine as the conclusion of her death settled into his mind for a few moments. He paused before walking uneasily towards her. He took her wrist in his firm hand and felt for a pulse. It was there. Breathing a sigh of relief, he dropped the woman's arm back on to the desk, in time to hear her gasp in her sleep.

Blinking, he watched her curiously as she wrestled against thin air in her sleep. A thought that she was having... A slightly inappropriate dream entered his mind before realising that she sounded as if she was in pain. Terror shot out towards him from Hypnosister and he seethed as it threw him backwards in shock.

"N-No!" she cried out, her voice rasped but shrill. Blade quickly darted towards her and held her shoulders, pulling her from the desk. Her chest was moving rapidly, a result of her heavy panting. "N-No! Leave him alone!" Blade shook her violently but it kept stressing the sleeping woman.

"Come on," Blade seethed as his firm hands held a death-like grip on her shoulders. She kept struggling against him, her skin turning paler with fright. Letting out a deep breath, he pulled her from her chair and crouched to the floor, placing her on his lap. She slumped obediently.

"Wake up, you awful woman," he glared at the struggling woman, who was thrashing against him. He tried to pinch her cheek but it only made her struggle harder. "What has gotten into you?" he groaned, her loud gasps and cries making his headache even worse.

"T-Take me," her voice sounded defeated, murmured and frightened. "Leave him alone!" Blade watched her curiously as she kept fighting thin air, before leaning against him, losing this strange dream battle. She seemed completely still, resting unevenly in his arms.

_What's going on? _He absent-mindedly began thinking of the solutions, and came to the obvious result of a nightmare. She had always been a strong-willed, stubborn woman, who could get anyone to do what she asked, but after today, she seemed fragile. She had lost a fight, but with who, and why?

Carefully placing an arm under her legs, he hitched her up and carried her bridal-style towards the black, leather sofa. He gently put her down, making sure she looked like she was in a comfortable position before walking towards the door.

Hypnosister stirred after a few seconds. Opening her eyes lazily, she sadly looked over the room to see the door closing quietly. Sighing, she realised that someone had walked in when she was having a nightmare. It was then she noticed she had been placed on her sofa. "_Who _was that?" she asked herself before stretching. Blinking slowly, she crossed her arms against her chest. "I don't think I should go back to sleep so soon," she admitted to herself nervously.

The sofa creaked as she stood up. The window revealed that it was still light and the room was colder than she preferred. She shivered. It took her a few moments before she strolled to her door and decided now would be the best time to go to her own room.

"Damn memories," she muttered as she closed the door behind her. "Brings nothing but pain – pain I don't need."

"Are you guys sure we should be out here?" Leela asked her companions, Grace and Amberlee, nervously. They were walking down a busy street, where adults rushed past them and children were playing innocently around them. Apartments suggested that people lived around there, and cars drove past them quickly.

Grace sighed, tucking a lock of her white-blonde hair behind her ear, "The doctor said that Jen should be conscious by tomorrow – they are just checking over her again, and we need some fresh air." Her black boots made a tapping sound as she power-walked ahead of them.

Leela realised that Grace was rushing ahead, and tried to jog to catch up with her. She looked over her shoulder to see that Amberlee hadn't moved faster and was a few meters away from them. Her head was turned and her red eyes suggested she was thinking about something else.

"Amber?" she questioned, slowing down.

The red-head blinked and raised her head, "Hm?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Amberlee's voice was quieter than usual, she seemed distracted a lot.

"Grace!" Leela turned her head to see that her friend hadn't slowed down.

The white-blonde rolled her eyes as she glanced at Leela, "Yeah?"

"You go ahead, I want to stay with Amber for a bit," the element-enchanter told her firmly. Her team-mate remained still for a moment, thinking it over before nodding then advanced along the pavement. With a sigh, Amberlee folded her arms across her chest and blew a strand of red hair from her face.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I know something is bothering you, girl, and I want to know what," Leela argued, her normally warm brown eyes narrowing.

Amberlee levelled her stare with Leela and shook her head, "My problems wouldn't interest you."

"Well, you've gained my attention so you might as well tell me."

_Good point_, Amberlee frowned. "I bumped into an old friend, and from our past relationship – it's making me nervous and a little guilty towards my new partner."

"An ex?" Leela's eyebrows raised, "In Paris?"

Amberlee nodded, smiling shyly, "The annual modelling show is featured in Paris around this time of year."

"So your ex is a model?" Leela asked, tilting her head curiously. Amberlee nodded. "And your new partner?"

"We met in Jump City," Amberlee explained, rubbing her arm uneasily.

The brown-haired hero smiled, "So, since you bumped into your ex, you're worried that it may ruin your relationship with your new partner?" Another nod determined what had been worrying the Red Panda to Leela. "Well, do you have a steady relationship with your ex?"

"We're good friends," Amberlee smiled, her eyes softening. Leela watched her curiously as her previously worried mood was put aside to reveal that Amberlee had cherished her relationship with this ex. Thoughts stirred in Leela's head. She stared at Amberlee's eyes.

_She's become softer all of a sudden_, Leela thought to herself. _What does this mean? Man, I feel like some boyfriend guru right now._

"Then you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"I hope so," Amberlee released a deep breath.

Leela nodded towards the street, "Should we continue going then?"

"Alright."

The two girls began to stroll down the street, chatting casually to each other. The ultimate thought of Jen's condition still lowered their spirits, but the burst of fresh air had returned them to a reasonably good mood. Leela was still worrying about her unconscious friend, of course, but she knew that their mission was still active and they still had to continue it. Jen _would _be fine.

Amberlee froze.

Leela looked over her shoulder to see Amberlee standing in the centre of the pavement, her eyes wide in alarm. "Amber?" The girl's mouth was popped open to reveal her surprising animal fangs. Confused, Leela waved her hand in front of Amberlee's face. "Anyone home?"

Amberlee sniffed the air, suspicious. "Someone's here," she growled. "Someone familiar, but I don't know who." The Red Panda suddenly burst past Leela and entered the alley-way. She darted from corner to corner, searching around.

"Hey! Amber!" Leela ran after her, bewildered.

Suddenly, a long white line shot out at the red-head and entangled her. It rapidly formed into a web and trapped Amberlee to the wall. "H-Hey!"

"Amber!" Leela rushed to the wall and grunted as she tried to yank the web off. "This thing is firm," she panted. Amberlee struggled against it, her eyes wide. A high-pitched laughter filled the alley-way, alerting the two heroes. "W-What was that?" Leela stepped back, looking around in fear.

The web suddenly pulled itself off the wall, and both it and Amberlee was thrown upwards. Leela's eyes widened then she shot a ball of fire to hopefully melt it. Amberlee was pushed to the side so the fireball flew upwards and missed it completely. Leela then pushed her hands upwards, hurling more dense air, almost like a mini tornado towards Amberlee. The web was moved again.

A tiny needle flew through the air and lodged into Leela's neck. Gasping, she felt herself go numb. "W-Woah..." She collapsed to the wall, banging her head. "O-Ow!"

"AMBER TORRIE LEE!" A loud and energetic voice crashed the eerie silence in the alley-way. Leela absently looked upwards to see the Red Panda being thrown towards the ground and into another girl's arms. "My beloved panda!" the girl bounced.

"Uhh..." Amberlee looked surprised and a little dizzy. "S-Spinnerette?"

Leela dazedly stared at the newest arrival. She was a girl with fair skin, and long, wavy black hair with a silver band mask across her eyes – it gave a light purple tint to her eyes. She was wearing a pastel purple long-sleeved shirt, and a silver almost see-through spider-web paster vest on top. Her bell-bottom trousers were a darker shade of purple and a large silver black-widow spider necklace hung around her neck.

_What..Who is this? _Leela thought, her thoughts jumbling up as she felt herself go more numb.

"Amberlee! My panda! Oh, how I missed you," the strange-looking girl cried out in delight, squeezing the still confused girl.

Leela felt the effects of the numbness wear off and stood up uneasily.

"Ooh, Spin," Amberlee shook her head, "Next time – don't be so dramatic, you could have gotten yourself in trouble," she patted the other girl on the head.

"Sorry, Amber," the black-haired girl giggled, "I wanted to surprise you."

Amberlee then realised something, "Why are you in Paris, anyway?"

"The modelling contest, of course!" Spinnerette grinned, letting Amberlee go. The Red Panda rubbed her head cautiously.

"Oh."

Spinnerette then gave her a weak smile, "Plus, it gave me a reason to come here to see you."

"W-Wait, hold on," Leela stood up and walked over to the two girls. "You told this girl about our mission?" she asked Amberlee sternly.

"Not the-"

"What mission?"

"-mission," Amberlee frowned. "Just where I was going." She sighed, remembering the memory clear in her head again. The distress in Spinnerette's voice when she had told her that she was going to Paris tugged at the red-head's heart.

Spinnerette rubbed her arm anxiously. "...Yeah."

"Okay, okay, I accept that," Leela raised her hands in submission but turned to Spinnerette, "But I guess we better introduce each other."

"Hero form or casual?" Spinnerette giggled.

Leela's eyes widened, "W-Wait, what?"

Spinnerette laughed at catching the girl out, "I saw your attempts at destroying my webs, so obviously you're a hero. I think I recognize you as someone from Jump City." Leela exhaled a breath of relief.

"Alright, well, I'm Leela Garcia."

"Spinnerette," the said girl smiled warmly and they both shook hands. Spinnerette and Amberlee then shared a long look, catching Leela's interest. "Nice to meet you," she turned back to Leela, nodding.

"Likewise," Leela grinned. An uncertainty built in the girl, wondering whether or not she could trust this strange hippie. Her team-mate appeared to trust her, so it was enough for her to try and get to know the stranger but now wasn't the time. "I think I better head back to the hospital," Leela told Amberlee carefully.

"Alright, I'll come by later," Amberlee gave her a small smile.

"Ooh, are we going shopping?" Spinnerette bounced.

Amberlee's chuckle was heard by Leela as the girl left the alley-way and went back to the way of the hospital. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Let's go look for some ice cream or something," Amberlee grinned at the black-haired girl.

Spinnerette squealed and glomped Amberlee in an incredibly tight hug. "Let's go now!" Amberlee chuckled once she managed to catch her breath.

"Okay, no time like the present!" she declared as the two then raced off.

Dave was strolling casually in the hotel's garden, hands in his pockets. His dark green hoodie hid his face, but his raised shoulders determined that he was feeling tense. As he kept moving forwards, he passed green shrubbery and flowers of all kinds. It took him a few minutes before realising he was about to enter a maze.

"Huh?" He stopped as he saw the gate that would lead him into the difficult-looking maze. "Oh, no thanks," he muttered before walking to the side. He noticed a wooden bench so he sat on it. Breathing in the fresh English air gave him some relaxation.

As his muscles sank into the bench, thoughts automatically rushed into his head. _Delphi, visions, S.T.R.I.K.E, missing members, England, clues, dead ends, deadlines, crime, team-mates, distorted leads, etc. _Dave took a deep breath and closed his eyes, ready to rid of the thoughts.

"Oh, hey Dave," came a slightly more cheerful and feminine voice. Dave opened his eyes to see his team-mate and new friend, Annalee. Her dark brown hair was unusually placed in a high ponytail and her normal caption-covered t-shirts were replaced with a simple blue t-shirt with an orange dinosaur trying to eat the sun. He found the t-shirt quite... Weird, but didn't say anything about it.

"Hi," he said simply.

"Mind if I sit down?" Annalee asked innocently.

Dave shrugged, "Go ahead."

Annalee sighed happily as she sat beside him and stretched. "So... How are _you _today?"

The tall, muscular guy shrugged once again, "Same as yesterday. You?"

"Kinda bored," Annalee admitted, giving him a lop-sided smile. "The fact that we have no leads is making me feel kinda useless."

Dave gave a hollow chuckle, his face still hidden by his hood. He was looking straight ahead at the maze. "You're not useless. If you were – we wouldn't have placed you in the team," he said sharply.

The brown-haired girl felt a small tinge of hurt at how forward he was with his words, as if a simple sentence could melt ice – her boyfriend's ice. She had been worried that the two guys wouldn't get along, but there was nothing there between them. They hung out and talked, but it seemed to be a bit of a struggle sometimes. No arguments had been shared, thankfully, so Annalee found it easier to relax.

She found herself liking Gina, even though they were very different. The girl had a kind heart and had other people's interests at heart, and she felt a small connection. The two girls would talk when the guys had disappeared and they had some things in common. Overall, Annalee just thought it was great to be in another girl's company. She was missing Lane like crazy.

Lane... Annalee stared ahead at the maze. She had felt a small tug in her heart when Lane's name came up. Something wasn't right. There had been no casual contact with each other. It was only during briefings that the pyrokinetic girl had spoken to her friend.

_She's probably just busy a lot, _Annalee thought to herself. _She is the leader of Team One, and she's had to worry about two members that have gone missing. _Another thought then occurred to her – Gina had finally described her vision, and Lane appeared to be the next one to go missing. Maybe the girl just needed some time to herself, some time to think and cool off.

"Weren't you and Jesse going to go somewhere?" Dave's sharp voice sliced through Annalee's thoughts.

Annalee looked up at him, "Hm?"

"I heard Jesse saying he was going to take you out."

"Did he now?"

"Yeah, I did," came Jesse's voice, slightly nervous. Annalee looked up towards him to see how he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "So, wanna go?"

The brunette smirked, "To where?"

"Uhh," Jesse looked blank for a moment then laughed. "Oh yeah. There's a family pub down the street, and it has some entertainment on. It's not much but, y'know, it might be fun."

Annalee smiled, "Sounds great," she stood up. Her head turned to look at Dave, how he was crouched over so they only so the tip of his hood. "Why don't you come?" she asked him.

Dave's hoody raised slightly, "I don't think you'd want that. You two don't get enough peace as it is." Annalee chuckled and put her arm around Jesse's shoulders, he in return put his arm around her waist.

"I don't mind," she grinned. Turning to Jesse, she said, "Do you?"

"Not at all," Jesse shook his head. "Get Gina to come, we'll have fun. Take a break."

"Hm."

Annalee separated herself from Jesse and took Dave's hand. She tried to drag him to his feet, but he seemed reluctant to go. "Gahh!" she ran out of breath and slumped back to Jesse. "Oh, _c'mon_."

With a sigh, Dave stood back up. He crossed his arms before nodding, glancing at the hotel – to where Gina would be. "Fine."

Slowly, Victoria (still disguised as her twin sister) was walking through the park, a thoughtful expression on her peachy face. "Hm." The trees crowned over her, guarding themselves from the young Blood Witch. Victoria noticed this and smirked. _I feel so powerful all the time now. _Stretching, she continued walking down the concrete path that ran down the park.

A small pond was gaining attention from passer-bys. Bread was being thrown in to feed the ducks and children cried in delight when they watched. Benches were placed randomly around the area, as well as picnic tables that surrounded barbecues and trees. All different kinds of vehicles were sitting in the nearest car park. Children ran past the teenage girl, shocking her slightly.

"Hm," Victoria ducked under a tree branch and looked around cautiously. _Which way did Silver Wolf live again? _She calculated the distance in her head, trying to retrace her steps. _The last time... She took meh from the shop to her place. We went through a forest, Ah think. That was when Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo were to attack. That was when Ah realised Veronica was alive_, she thought to herself miserably.

A branch cracked and fell to the ground in front of Victoria's feet. She watched it cautiously, before picking it up. As her fingers curled around it, images suddenly shot into her mind.

_It was Silver Wolf. Sweat trickled from Victoria's brow as she kept her power active. She laughed as her whole body turned into concrete. The silver-haired hero's eyes widened in alarm. Shock broke onto her face as she stepped back cautiously. Victoria forced her fist to the wolf-girl's gut. Silver Wolf cried out in pain and tried to lash out her claws to attack, but only splintered her nails on the concrete._

_Victoria smirked, knowing she had the advantage. With determination, she lifted her foot from the ground and went to kick the other girl. Silver Wolf saw this almost instantly and ducked for cover. She grabbed on to one of Victoria's feet and tried to trip her up, but the concrete melted back into the ground. _

_With a low chuckle, Victoria threw her fist into Silver Wolf's jaw, sending her to her feet before falling to her knees. Victoria cracked her hollow knuckles, stepping back. Silver Wolf's eyes narrowed, determination bringing her to the point of rage. She shot upwards, her fist clenched. She hit the Blood Witch on the chest, sending cracks to slice through the area. _

_Victoria elbowed Silver Wolf on the neck and sent her to the ground. The broken shards of concrete healed and another coat painted itself on to her. "Do y'all really think ya can beat meh, wolfy?" _

"_I can try," Silver Wolf panted as she stood up again. Victoria gave a deep laugh again and went to punch the other girl, when her arm suddenly exploded. The concrete shattered to a million pieces, falling to the ground. Her eyes widened, her eyebrows shooting upwards. "Veronica..." Silver Wolf gasped, looking upwards. _

_Victoria stared at the tall building that stood behind her. She had remembered that Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo had imprisoned her twin sister into it – but how did she escape? Veronica was standing on the arch window, one of her fists clenched. Her amber-golden eyes were even brighter, her lips turned into a frown. _

"_No," Victoria whispered in annoyance. Growling, she healed her arm again and swung a punch at Silver Wolf. The wolf-girl ducked, and both of Victoria's arms exploded, the shards flying everywhere. _

_Seeing her triumphant attack, Veronica smirked. She waved at Silver Wolf, but kept both of her eyes on her sister. Victoria glanced upwards once more before turning the concrete back to skin. One of her arms was sliced open and formed into a blade. She instantly grabbed at Silver Wolf, and with fury in her eyes, held the blade to her neck. _

_Silver Wolf cried out in shock, not expecting that kind of attack. Her arms swung at Victoria, but the blade was digging in, so she left them by her side. Veronica grimaced, realising that she was at a loss. _

_She raised her hands in mock defeat. Victoria was uncertain. She relaxed her hold on Silver Wolf for a moment. Veronica immediately saw this and exploded her metallic arm once more. Victoria seethed as Silver Wolf ran from her position as victim and raced towards the building._

_Victoria shot her hand to the ground and sent ripples down the earth. Spikes of earth erupted from the ground, aimed at Silver Wolf. The silver-haired girl gasped. She plummeted forward as one went to hit her. She hit the ground and rolled to her feet. Turning around, she noticed that the ground softened. Victoria's hand turned a dusty yellow colour. The colour of sand._

_The ground around Silver Wolf melted into a sand-like texture. Confused, she stepped back, but her foot got stuck in it. A squelching noise was made as she tried to move it. She grimaced. "Gahh!" _

_A sense of rage came over Victoria – revenge. She wanted to kill this silver-haired girl, and also her twin sister, who had suddenly disappeared from the tower. _

Victoria suddenly came back, dropping the stick. The thick gravel that she had been thrown towards left a small mark on her cheek. It was a painful experience – meeting her sister, and now she was unsure if she wanted to meet her again. The voice of Hypnosister kept ringing in her head, reminding her that she _had _to do her mission. She had to bring in Silver Wolf, and perhaps the two other girls, their names saved to her computer.

Moving some more branches away from her, using her hand, Victoria looked beyond the park. In the distance, she spotted a familiar forest. _There it is_, she thought, a small smile creeping up on her. _Ah remember... _She licked her lips in annoyance, _Oh, the embarrassment,_ she sighed.

_Now tae make ma appearance, but how? _She stared at the faraway forest, thinking deeply. _If Ah showed up withou' the damn mutt, how's that gonna look? Ah can... Oh, _Victoria smirked darkly. _Ah'll tell her that Ah escaped, but Luna was in a separate cell, an' Ah couldn't get her out. That's why Ah came back for help. _She chuckled to herself. _Excellent. _

The pale yellow light that entered from the window shone on the unconscious girl. A brown-haired, muscular but curvy girl stood before her, her hand outstretched to gently hold the blonde's hand.

"Oh, Jen, you've got us so worried," Leela frowned, her warm brown eyes narrowing. "Please come back to us," her accent clipped from the anxiousness of waiting for her friend to wake up. "We need you."

A slow gasp escaped from the unconscious girl's mouth. Leela looked up in surprise, her mouth popping open. Green eyes opened and stared at the brunette. "L-Leela?" her voice rasped.

"Jen!" Leela sighed with relief, exhaling a tremendously long breath. All the worry and fear that had once countered her mind vanished. Her lips flicked up to the sides as a smile. "Thank God that you're okay."

"Ugh, I feel like I wrestled an elephant," Jen groaned, putting a frail pale hand to her forehead.

Leela chuckled, "Glad to see you're back to normal."

"Did I miss anything good?" Jen asked, folding her arms and looking up at Leela expectantly.

_Always one for gossip, _Leela thought to herself before smiling at Jen. "Nothing that major. We haven't had any real good links to S.T.R.I.K.E yet." She pulled a plastic chair beside the bed and sat down on it. "Amber's having some boyfriend troubles," she rolled her eyes.

Jen gave her a confused look, "_Boyfriend _troubles?" she repeated, as if the thought startled her.

"Yeah," the brunette blinked. "Something wrong?"

"No," Jen smirked. "Nothing wrong at all." She gazed out of the window, thinking of the red panda before changing her attention back to Leela. "Continue."

Leela gave her a suspicious glance, as if not convinced. She shook her head before leaning back on the bright orange chair. "Grace is herself, not much difference about her," she said casually. "We were all really worried about you."

"Hm."

"Gina said she wanted to call me later, something about a vision, but she didn't exactly describe it much," she frowned. "But I can tell from her tone that it isn't something good."

"I see," Jen nodded.

"What about you?" Leela tilted her head sideways comfortingly. "How do you feel?"

Jen's lips twitched, her nose wrinkled. "Groggy, but okay."

"Can you recall what happened?" Leela asked.

Jen's eyes seemed to fog up, a cloudy apple green colour. The whites turned green. Leela's own eyes widened in surprise and she reached a hand out towards her. Jen blinked, her eyes returning to normal. "N-No. I can't remember anything."

Leela stared at her, still unconvinced. Was the young blonde lying to her? Maybe she couldn't remember it either. Why did her eyes change then? "Are you sure?"

The flash of green swept over Jen's eyes again but returned quickly, "Yeah, I really can't remember anything," she scowled. "I must have hit my head or something." She touched it gingerly. Leela wrapped her hand around her friend's wrist gently. Jen stiffened at the touch, the green returning to her eyes, brightening them but scaring Leela. They stayed when Leela wouldn't let go of her team-mate.

"Jen. Speak to me," Leela ordered.

Jen's voice was even more raspy than before, "The woman... She hit me, she threw me across the walls. With her mind? No. Her eyes."

"Who?" Leela shook Jen's wrist worriedly, trying to gain her attention. "Who is this woman?"

"S-She told me to send a message. She told me that I was _that _message."

"What did she look like?" Leela commanded, her voice going higher with anxiety.

"The w-woman," Jen stammered, her eyes blank and her skin paler. "She's a murderer. T-told me to tell you that I will not be the only one."

Leela shook her harder, "C'mon Jen, wake up!"

"Leela... What _are _you doing?" A cautious and dangerous voice shocked her into letting the staggering blonde go.

"Grace!" Leela looked at her, fear written on her face. "Jen's having some sort of fit.. Or something. She's babbling and I can't get her to snap out of it."

Grace whisked across the room and studied Jen carefully. "Man, what happened to her eyes?"

"I don't know," Leela threw her hands up in the air exaggerated.

"Jen," Grace quickly took hold of the girl's shoulder. "It's Grace. Can you hear me?"

"G-Grace?" Jen's breath hitched in her throat before she looked around absently. "W-Where a-are you?"

"I'm right here," Grace frowned, tapping her fingers on Jen's shoulder.

Jen tugged at her tighter, "You need to stop the w-woman."

"What woman?" Grace asked, before glancing at Leela, who shrugged.

"Hypnosister!" Jen cried out, panting heavily. The brunette pouted. Grace rolled her electric green eyes at her team leader.

"Who is this Hypnosister?" Grace asked. "Is she our enemy?"

"She's the messenger!"

"Wait..." Leela stole Grace's bag, receiving a glare, and opened it up. "Lemme see here." She rummaged through it and took out a familiar card. "The card from S.T.R.I.K.E. Maybe that's what she means."

Taking her bag back, Grace frowned, "This woman attacked Jen then, leaving the card?" Leela bit her lip, uncertain.

"Maybe." Both girls stared at the trembling girl, her fogged up green eyes representing fear in its finest form. Her skin was covered in goosebumps, it was paler, and she shivered at every opportunity. "She doesn't look well."

"Ya think?" Grace snorted, before holding Jen carefully, her own green eyes narrowing in annoyance, but also worry. "Jen, listen to me. Who is this woman? What is this message?"

Jen's mouth popped open in surprise from the fierce hold, her lip trembled before she continued, "S-She leads the Scientific Technical Remotely Isolated Killer Exhibit."

"S.T.R.I.K.E..."

"S-She h-has allies. Slade, Mad Mod, Mumbo Jumbo, Doctor Light, Professor Chang, etc. Her base holds all villains, and those that have been captured. She told me that I've been left of easily, that I was simply there to remind the Underground Alliance that this battle is far from over," her voice sounded muffled, but still clear at the same time. It was as if she had practised the speech over and over again. Her eyes clouded then cleared repeatedly. "She told me that more are to be captured, until we are all killed. She's sending someone over to capture her next victim."

As the girls drank all the information in, Grace then came to the final question. "Who is this next victim?" she asked sourly.

"She has many victims," Jen replied, her voice returning to normal, her eyes clearing up. "H-Hey... What happened?"

"Jen, are you okay?" Leela asked, almost immediately. She wrapped her hand around her wrist for the second time in that period, her worried gaze matching Jen's confused one.

"I'm fine," she replied, blinking, realising that it was true. "Better than fine. Well, better than before, anyway."

"Can you remember anything?" Grace leaned forward, her sharp eyes daring for truth.

Jen raised a neatly shaped eyebrow, "In what way? Like.. From when I was born, everything _everything_?"

"No," Grace snapped, shaking her head, her white-blond hair falling like waves onto her shoulder. Sighing, she added, "You kind of had a little fit right about now, and you started blabbing on about this Hypnosister and S.T.R.I.K.E."

"I did?"

"You did," Leela nodded sympathetically.

"You woke up before we could get an answer from you. Something about a new victim."

"Oh," Jen's eyes widened and she put her hand to her mouth in shock.

"What?"

"Dave," she looked up at Leela, who stared back in confusion. "Dave is next."

* * *

**Next chapter should hopefully be slightly more dramatic, and give you more of an insight on what is about to happen. More characters should appear, and more stuff should happen. The chapter was rushed, yet still long, due to the fact that I wanted to show some more things that are involved with the characters all over the place. I thought it was unfair how I managed to leave out a lot of the characters in previous chapters. **

**Since it's Summer now, I should be able to add more chapters at more... Acceptable times. Please stay tuned :)**


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